Public Act 102-0701
 
HB4811 EnrolledLRB102 24966 RJF 34221 b

    AN ACT concerning government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Findings. The General Assembly finds and
declares the following:
        (1) Irish individuals first came to Illinois in the
    late 18th Century in search of liberty and new
    opportunities.
        (2) From farming to industrial work in cities, the
    contributions of Irish in Illinois have been enormous.
        (3) Cook County is the largest Irish county in the
    United States and the State of Illinois is home to over
    1,000,000 individuals with Irish ancestry.
        (4) Due to the large number of Irish-Americans in
    Illinois, Chicago is home to one of the largest St.
    Patrick's Day celebrations and celebrations of Irish
    heritage in the United States.
        (5) Therefore, given the contributions of
    Irish-Americans to both the United States and the State of
    Illinois, the General Assembly declares that April 18 of
    each year shall be known as Republic of Ireland Day.
 
    Section 5. The State Commemorative Dates Act is amended by
adding Section 9 as follows:
 
    (5 ILCS 490/9 new)
    Sec. 9. Republic of Ireland Day. April 18 of each year is
designated as Republic of Ireland Day to be observed
throughout the State as a day in recognition of the
anniversary of April 18, 1949, the day in which the Republic of
Ireland officially declared itself independent from Great
Britain, in recognition of the Republic of Ireland and its
people, and in recognition of the many Illinoisans of Irish
descent who have made a lasting impact upon our State. Each
year, within 10 days before Republic of Ireland Day, the
Governor shall issue a proclamation announcing the recognition
of Republic of Ireland Day, and designate the official events
that shall be held in honor of Republic of Ireland Day and the
contributions of Illinoisans of Irish descent.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.