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Bill creates Lincoln
National
Heritage Area
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[NOV. 22, 2003]
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Ray
LaHood, R-Peoria, co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
Commission, introduced legislation Thursday night that would create
the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in Illinois. LaHood and
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have worked together on this bill, and
Durbin is expected to introduce companion legislation in the Senate.
All members of the Illinois congressional delegation in the U.S.
House, including Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Yorkville, are
co-sponsors of LaHood's bill.
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The legislation would build upon the
successful Looking for Lincoln project, which was established in
1998 as an Illinois Heritage Tourism Area. This state area helps
preserve the legacy of Abraham Lincoln in an eight-county region in
central Illinois. The LaHood bill would authorize up to $10 million
in federal funding for the project. Any federal amount would have to
be matched at least dollar-for-dollar with state, local or private
funding. No more than $1 million in federal funds could be awarded
annually.
"Abraham Lincoln means so much to the
people of Illinois," the congressman said, "and his story and life
are so woven into the fabric of our state that it only makes sense
to create a cohesive area that would help tell the life story of our
country's greatest president. With the opening of the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library in the near future, we have a
tremendous opportunity for people from around the world to discover
Lincoln's world. The establishment of this Heritage Area will allow
for the promotion of Lincoln's story beyond the walls of the
presidential library or a few buildings in Springfield."
LaHood's bill would establish the
Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in a 41-county area across
the central region of Illinois. Outside of Springfield-area Lincoln
sites, the Historic Area would include such significant Lincoln
sites as Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site; courthouses in
Mount Pulaski, Lincoln, Beardstown and Metamora; the Vandalia
Statehouse; the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum; and many other
Lincoln-related sites.
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The bill would designate the existing
Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition as the management entity for
the Historic Area. The coalition would help to promote economic,
preservation, educational and historical aspects of the designated
area. The legislation also aims to create a collaborative framework
among communities in the area.
The bill specifically protects private
property rights. It does not require any private citizen or entity
to participate in or be affiliated with the Historic Area; it does
not grant any zoning or land-use power to the management entity; and
nothing in the legislation imposes any new rules or regulations.
In addition
to his duties on the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, LaHood
represents the same congressional district that Lincoln represented
during his one term in office, from 1847 to 1849.
[News release from
Rep. Ray LaHood,
18th Congressional District]
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