Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SR0068 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SR0068LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r SR0068 LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
2	2	SR0068 LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
3	3	1 SENATE RESOLUTION
4	4	2 WHEREAS, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site provides
5	5	3 a historic, interactive interpretation of the reconstructed
6	6	4 1830s village where Abraham Lincoln once lived, which at one
7	7	5 time, when it was a premier site, hosted more than 400,000
8	8	6 visitors from around the world per year; and
9	9	7 WHEREAS, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site has
10	10	8 experienced extensive deterioration of the reconstructed log
11	11	9 homes, roofs, buildings, foundations, chimneys, fences, steps,
12	12	10 footbridge, flatboat, cemetery, and iconic Grist Mill; and
13	13	11 WHEREAS, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site attracts
14	14	12 students on field trips, volunteers, campers, hikers, canoeing
15	15	13 and kayaking enthusiasts, college interns, cyclists, children
16	16	14 partaking in Pioneer Life Summer Day Camps, historians,
17	17	15 visitors from around the world, and descendants of those who
18	18	16 lived, worked, and are buried there; and
19	19	17 WHEREAS, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site serves as
20	20	18 a living history museum, with volunteer interpreters in the
21	21	19 homes, and features concessions, a gift shop, campgrounds,
22	22	20 exercise areas, and trails; the site also hosts a number of
23	23	21 events, including the Traditional Music Festival, Theatre in
24	24	22 the Park, Summer Frolic, the Independence Day Celebration,
25	25
26	26
27	27
28	28	SR0068 LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
29	29
30	30
31	31	SR0068- 2 -LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r SR0068 - 2 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
32	32	SR0068 - 2 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
33	33	1 which features a reading of the Declaration of Independence,
34	34	2 the Fall Festival, the popular annual Fall Candlelight Walk,
35	35	3 Boy Scouts of America (BSA) jamborees, and the BSA Abraham
36	36	4 Lincoln Pilgrimage, where scouts hike while retracing
37	37	5 Lincoln's footsteps to Springfield; and
38	38	6 WHEREAS, Over the past 40 years, the New Salem Lincoln
39	39	7 League has invested more than a million dollars in programs
40	40	8 and improvements to Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site,
41	41	9 including introducing new cultural and educational programs in
42	42	10 the village and outdoor theater, purchasing traditional wood
43	43	11 shingles to replace the village structures' roofs and treated
44	44	12 wood to replace cabin porches and steps, paying for the site's
45	45	13 iconic statues to be professionally cleaned, treated, and
46	46	14 restored, financing new LED lighting to save the site
47	47	15 thousands of dollars, funding the veterinary care and
48	48	16 transportation for medical care of the site's animals, and
49	49	17 acquiring a horse, a horse trailer, feed, and hay; the league
50	50	18 has also made a number of enhancements to the Visitor Center
51	51	19 and its parking lot, including the production of an
52	52	20 orientation video and the addition of a new state-of-the art
53	53	21 system to replace the center's aging audiovisual equipment;
54	54	22 and
55	55	23 WHEREAS, The New Salem Lincoln League relies on the work
56	56	24 and dedication of volunteers to make Lincoln's New Salem State
57	57
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61
62	62	SR0068 - 2 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
63	63
64	64
65	65	SR0068- 3 -LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r SR0068 - 3 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
66	66	SR0068 - 3 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
67	67	1 Historic Site a memorable experience for visitors, and in
68	68	2 turn, provides supplies and materials for volunteer efforts,
69	69	3 such as clothing, materials for demonstrations, candles for
70	70	4 the annual candlelight tour, and meals for all volunteers and
71	71	5 staff during those tours; the league has also worked with
72	72	6 Theatre In the Park, which attracts over 10,000 visitors a
73	73	7 year, funding new seating and a new sound board, and it
74	74	8 partners with the Illinois College Explorer program to fund up
75	75	9 to six college interns each summer; and
76	76	10 WHEREAS, For Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site to
77	77	11 continue, it is essential that the State of Illinois honors
78	78	12 its commitment to preserve and maintain the site, ensuring its
79	79	13 existence for future generations as a living history museum
80	80	14 and as an opportunity to learn about Abraham Lincoln's
81	81	15 transformative early years; therefore, be it
82	82	16 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
83	83	17 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support the
84	84	18 creation of a New Salem Preservation Commission to monitor and
85	85	19 recommend repairs and maintenance for Lincoln's New Salem
86	86	20 State Historic Site, including structures, signage, statues,
87	87	21 overall condition of the grounds, and accessibility, and to
88	88	22 make recommendations for the volunteer coordination efforts,
89	89	23 including interactions and communications with current and
90	90	24 potential volunteers, as well as guidelines for volunteer
91	91
92	92
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	SR0068 - 3 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
97	97
98	98
99	99	SR0068- 4 -LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r SR0068 - 4 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
100	100	SR0068 - 4 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r
101	101	1 eligibility and retention; and be it further
102	102
103	103
104	104
105	105
106	106
107	107	SR0068 - 4 - LRB104 03332 LAW 13354 r