Full Text of HR1232 095th General Assembly
HR1232 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, On May 10, 1869, the "golden spike" was driven | 3 |
| into the final tie at Promontory Summit, Utah to join the | 4 |
| Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads, ceremonially | 5 |
| completing the first transcontinental railroad and therefore | 6 |
| connecting both coasts of the United States; and
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| WHEREAS, Today, Illinois and Chicago are the railroad | 8 |
| capitals of the United States and Chicago Union Station is the | 9 |
| fourth busiest Amtrak station in the country, with almost 3 | 10 |
| million passengers annually; and
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| WHEREAS, Illinois was one of the first States to enter into | 12 |
| a partnership with Amtrak for the operation of a passenger | 13 |
| train, the daily Illinois Zephyr, which has served the | 14 |
| communities of Quincy, Macomb, Galesburg, Kewanee, Princeton, | 15 |
| Mendota, Plano, LaGrange, and Chicago, since November 4, 1971; | 16 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Illinois has continued to show its commitment to a | 18 |
| viable passenger rail network, providing support so residents | 19 |
| and visitors have Amtrak trains to and from metro areas, | 20 |
| mid-sized cities, and small towns, helping to reduce congestion | 21 |
| on roads and in the skies; and
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| WHEREAS, For many rural Americans, Amtrak represents the | 2 |
| only major intercity transportation link to the rest of the | 3 |
| country; and
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| WHEREAS, Passenger rail provides a more fuel-efficient | 5 |
| transportation system, thereby providing cleaner | 6 |
| transportation alternatives and energy security; when combined | 7 |
| with all modes of transportation, passenger railroads emit only | 8 |
| 0.2 percent of the travel industry's total greenhouse gases; | 9 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Amtrak annually provides intercity passenger rail | 11 |
| travel to over 25 million Americans residing in 46 states; and
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| WHEREAS, An increasing number of people are using trains | 13 |
| for travel purposes beyond commuting to and from work; in the | 14 |
| State of Illinois, 3,888,577 people made use of Amtrak trains | 15 |
| in 2007; and
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| WHEREAS, Rail passenger service in the State of Illinois is | 17 |
| a source of pride, a gateway for many into our State, and a | 18 |
| tool for economic growth; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 20 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 21 |
| the State of Illinois endorses National Train Day on May 10, |
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| 2008.
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