Full Text of HB5015 102nd General Assembly
HB5015enr 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning State government.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 | | Illinois America 250 Commission Act. | 6 | | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:
| 7 | | (a) Illinois became the 21st state on December 3, 1818, 42 | 8 | | years after the formation of the United States of America and | 9 | | after thousands of years of Indigenous communities and peoples | 10 | | inhabiting the land.
| 11 | | (b) Illinois figured prominently in the expansion of the | 12 | | United States of America as the scene of extensive French and | 13 | | British exploration and early economic generation with the fur | 14 | | trade, serving as a frontier boundary for Westward expansion, | 15 | | and as a place of forced removal of Indigenous nations.
| 16 | | (c) The historic and contemporary systems of inequality | 17 | | produced through the enslavement of African American people in | 18 | | Illinois must be acknowledged. Though the 1848 State | 19 | | Constitution declared slavery to be illegal, the practice of | 20 | | enslaving African Americans continued in Illinois, as did | 21 | | participation in kidnapping and enslaving African Americans to | 22 | | benefit Illinois' economy. Even following the abolition of | 23 | | slavery, the 1908 Race Riot in Springfield led to the |
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| 1 | | slaughter of free African Americans and destroyed their | 2 | | communities within the Illinois State capital city.
| 3 | | (d) Illinois was a key state in the American Civil War, | 4 | | deploying over 250,000 soldiers to fight in the war. Illinois | 5 | | served as the home of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of | 6 | | the United States of America. Illinois was the first State to | 7 | | ratify the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
| 8 | | (e) Millions of people have emigrated from and immigrated | 9 | | to Illinois, or sought refuge in our State, bringing with them | 10 | | their culture, lifeways, knowledge, and labor, which has | 11 | | shaped Illinois into one of the nation's most diverse states. | 12 | | With its largest city in Illinois, and the 3rd largest in the | 13 | | nation, founded by a Black man, John Baptiste Point du Sable, | 14 | | more than 110,000 African Americans came to Illinois as a part | 15 | | of the Great Migration from the South through the advocacy of | 16 | | Robert Abbott's Chicago Defender distributed by the Pullman | 17 | | Porters. Illinois has proudly been made home by immigrants and | 18 | | their descendants from Ireland, Italy, China, Poland, Eastern | 19 | | Europe, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, Central and South America, | 20 | | Russia, Somalia, Eritrea, and across the continents of Africa | 21 | | and Asia, the Caribbean, Vietnam, Thailand, India, and many | 22 | | other parts of the world.
| 23 | | (f) Illinois is responsible for numerous social and | 24 | | economic improvements that shaped the infrastructure and | 25 | | social fabric of our nation, including, but not limited to, | 26 | | the creation of the Illinois and Michigan Canal opening |
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| 1 | | navigation and trade between the Mississippi River and the | 2 | | Great Lakes; Jane Addams' innovative social work at the Hull | 3 | | House; Ida B. Wells' courageous journalism and commitment to | 4 | | abolition; inventions like the John Deere steel plow and | 5 | | modern barbed wire by Joseph Glidden that reshaped | 6 | | agriculture; the opening of Route 66, the Mother Road, | 7 | | originating in Chicago; the first McDonald's, a restaurant | 8 | | that would change how Americans eat; and the first cellular | 9 | | telephone, which changed communication forever.
| 10 | | (g) In 2008, the nation elected its first African American | 11 | | president, President Barack Obama, who built his career as a | 12 | | community organizer, law professor, and elected official in | 13 | | Illinois.
| 14 | | (h) The 250th anniversary of our nation's founding | 15 | | presents an opportunity for Illinoisans and Americans to | 16 | | consider this legacy and reflect on a diversity of | 17 | | perspectives and experiences that are often left untold.
| 18 | | (i) The nation's Semiquincentennial offers a commemoration | 19 | | that focuses on all people who call Illinois home, in every | 20 | | part of the State and of all ages and backgrounds, and centers | 21 | | our shared humanity in this process, as well as our common | 22 | | purpose. It offers every person in Illinois the opportunity to | 23 | | see themselves within this complex history and create a more | 24 | | just future.
| 25 | | Section 10. Creation of Illinois America 250 Commission; |
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| 1 | | definition; purpose. The Illinois America 250 Commission is | 2 | | created. As used in this Act, "Commission" means the Illinois | 3 | | America 250 Commission. The principal purpose of the | 4 | | Commission shall be to plan, promote, and implement | 5 | | appropriate commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the | 6 | | founding of the United States of America | 7 | | ("Semiquincentennial"). | 8 | | Section 15. Duties. | 9 | | (a) The Commission shall develop, encourage, and execute | 10 | | an inclusive commemoration and observance of the founding of | 11 | | the United States of America, and Illinois' imperative role in | 12 | | the nation's history. | 13 | | (b) The Commission shall promote the inclusive and | 14 | | respectful identification, interpretation, documentation, | 15 | | preservation, and recognition of cultural and historical | 16 | | narratives and resources, including traditional cultural | 17 | | knowledge, oral histories, archival materials, objects, | 18 | | buildings, structures, sites, and landscapes related to | 19 | | Illinois history and prehistory. | 20 | | (c) The Commission shall consider organizing its | 21 | | activities under the 5 historic themes established by the | 22 | | American Association for State and Local History in "The Field | 23 | | Guide for the Semiquincentennial: Making History at 250". | 24 | | (d) The Commission shall serve as the official | 25 | | representative of the State of Illinois for the |
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| 1 | | Semiquincentennial and all related activities, communications, | 2 | | and events. | 3 | | (e) The Governor's office shall encourage various State | 4 | | agencies and organizations to work cooperatively to promote | 5 | | the Semiquincentennial. | 6 | | Section 20. Authority; administrative support. | 7 | | (a) The Commission is authorized to cooperate with the | 8 | | United States Semiquincentennial Commission created by Public | 9 | | Law 114-196, other states, tribal nations, and national, | 10 | | State, and local organizations engaged in activities around | 11 | | the United States Semiquincentennial, and other tribal, | 12 | | national, regional, State, and local public and private | 13 | | organizations having compatible purposes. | 14 | | (b) The Illinois State Museum shall provide administrative | 15 | | support to the Commission and may make expenditures according | 16 | | to State law. | 17 | | Section 25. Membership; meetings. | 18 | | (a) The Commission shall consist of the following members: | 19 | | (1) One member appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. | 20 | | (2) One member appointed by the President of the | 21 | | Senate and one member appointed by the Speaker of the | 22 | | House of Representatives. | 23 | | (3) One member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader | 24 | | and one member appointed by the House Minority Leader. |
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| 1 | | (4) The Director of the Illinois State Museum. | 2 | | (5) The Harold Washington Library Archivist. | 3 | | (6) A Black historian reflecting the experiences and | 4 | | contributions of American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS), | 5 | | appointed by the Governor. | 6 | | (7) A historian reflecting the experiences and | 7 | | contributions of Asian and Latina/o/x communities, | 8 | | appointed by the Governor.
| 9 | | (8) The following members appointed by the Governor: | 10 | | (A) Three representatives of tribal Nations and | 11 | | communities including the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, | 12 | | Shawnee, Osage, Peoria, Miami, Sac and Fox, Mesquaki, | 13 | | Kickapoo, Ho-Chunk,
Menominee, and additional tribal | 14 | | members living in Illinois today. | 15 | | (B) A representative of the Abraham Lincoln | 16 | | Presidential Library and Museum. | 17 | | (C) A representative from the Department of | 18 | | Commerce and Economic Opportunity. | 19 | | (D) A representative of Illinois humanities. | 20 | | (E) A representative of the Illinois Municipal | 21 | | League. | 22 | | (F) Three members of the public with related or | 23 | | relevant backgrounds, expertise, or interests. | 24 | | Knowledge in the following shall be prioritized in | 25 | | making an appointment under this item: the culture, | 26 | | traditions, and history of American Indians/Native |
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| 1 | | Americans; Black Americans; Latinos/Latinas/Hispanic | 2 | | Americans; Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; the | 3 | | LGBTQAI+ community; immigrants and refugees; veterans' | 4 | | organizations; women's history; the history of | 5 | | Illinois' agriculture, architecture, armed forces, | 6 | | arts, civics, cultural geography, ecology, education, | 7 | | faith-based communities, folklore, government, | 8 | | industry, labor, law, medicine, and transportation; | 9 | | anthropology; archeology; cultural exhibits and | 10 | | museums; heritage tourism; historic preservation; and | 11 | | social justice. | 12 | | (b) The Governor's office, with the assistance of the | 13 | | Chair of the Commission and the Illinois State Museum, shall | 14 | | be responsible for ensuring that 60% of the appointed members | 15 | | of the Commission consist of people who represent historically | 16 | | excluded and marginalized communities. | 17 | | (c) The appointing authorities shall coordinate their | 18 | | appointments to represent and celebrate the diverse makeup and | 19 | | complex cultural geography of this State. | 20 | | (d) The Commission may adopt bylaws for the establishment | 21 | | of a quorum and the conducting of business. | 22 | | (e) Members shall serve for the duration of the | 23 | | Commission, provided any public official's expiration of a | 24 | | term of office shall create a vacancy. Any vacancy occurring | 25 | | in the membership of the Commission shall be filled in the same | 26 | | manner as the original appointment. |
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| 1 | | (f) The Commission shall hold meetings at least twice a | 2 | | year: | 3 | | (1) at times and places to be determined by the Chair; | 4 | | and | 5 | | (2) that are conducted in accordance with the Open | 6 | | Meetings Act. | 7 | | (g) Members shall serve without compensation and shall not | 8 | | be reimbursed for expenses incurred in performing their | 9 | | duties. | 10 | | (h) The Governor shall appoint a member of the Commission | 11 | | to serve as Chair of the Commission. | 12 | | Section 30. Advisory committees and working groups. The | 13 | | Chair of the Commission, with the concurrence of the | 14 | | Commission, shall create one or more advisory committees and | 15 | | working groups to advise the Commission. Any advisory | 16 | | committee or working group shall conduct meetings in | 17 | | accordance with the Open Meetings Act. | 18 | | Section 35. Illinois America 250 Commission Trust Fund; | 19 | | in-kind gifts. | 20 | | (a) The Commission may accept monetary gifts and grants | 21 | | from any public or private source, which shall be held in the | 22 | | Illinois America 250 Commission Trust Fund. The Illinois | 23 | | America 250 Commission Trust Fund is created as a | 24 | | non-appropriated trust fund to be held outside of the State |
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| 1 | | treasury, with the State Treasurer as custodian. All gifts, | 2 | | grants, assets, funds, or money received by the Commission | 3 | | under this Act shall be deposited and held in the Trust Fund by | 4 | | the State Treasurer as ex officio custodian separate and apart | 5 | | from all public money or funds of this State and shall be | 6 | | administered by the Commission exclusively for the purposes | 7 | | set forth in this Act. All money in the Trust Fund shall be | 8 | | invested and reinvested by the State Treasurer. All interest | 9 | | accruing from these investments shall be deposited into the | 10 | | Trust Fund. | 11 | | (b) The Commission may also accept in-kind gifts. | 12 | | Section 40. Reporting. The Commission shall make an annual | 13 | | written report and make any recommendations to the Governor | 14 | | and General Assembly at least 30 days prior to the convening of | 15 | | each regular session of the General Assembly, commencing with | 16 | | the start of the regular session in 2023 and continuing | 17 | | through its final report. | 18 | | Section 45. Dissolution; repeal. | 19 | | (a) The Commission and its advisory committees and working | 20 | | groups are dissolved on June 1, 2027, and any assets remaining | 21 | | in the Illinois America 250 Commission Trust Fund shall be | 22 | | deposited into the General Revenue Fund. | 23 | | (b) This Act is repealed on January 1, 2028.
| 24 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
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| 1 | | becoming law.
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