Durbin Announces Committee Passage of Bill to Designate Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area

Press Release

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that his legislation, the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Act (S.955), was reported out of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. It will now go to the Senate floor for debate. The legislation would establish a National Heritage Area in Central Illinois and calls for up to $10 million over 10 years to make federal grants available for preservation, education and economic development activities. Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) has introduced companion legislation in the House.

"Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln," said Durbin. "This state shaped his character from youth to adulthood. Designating a National Heritage Area will allow us to bind together the elements of Lincoln's life in Illinois. We want to tell the whole Lincoln story to our students, families and visitors. Today is an important step in the process and I will work with my colleagues to pass this legislation in the Senate."

Durbin said he wants Illinois communities to work together to tell the whole Lincoln story. The Looking for Lincoln project is designed to connect Illinois' natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources touched by the life and influence of the nation's sixteenth President. Durbin is working closely with the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, focusing on the places where Lincoln spent his formative years. His goal is to let each community tell its unique story, so tourists have the opportunity to visit a series of historic places that can provide a complete look at Lincoln's life in Illinois. In the end, the communities involved will benefit from job creation and new tourism revenue, as well as a renewed sense of pride about their role in Lincoln's heritage.

The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area would encompass an area spanning numerous Central Illinois counties, including Presidential sites in Springfield as well as other notable sites including the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum in Charleston, the Macon County Log Courthouse in Decatur and the Carl Sandburg Home State Historic Site in Galesburg.

The legislation protects private property rights and would not require any private citizen or entity to be affiliated with the Lincoln Heritage Area. The bill names the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition as the management authority for the National Heritage Area, but does not grant any zoning or land use power to the Coalition. Up to $10 million in federal grants would be available under this legislation, with no more than $1 million awarded in any single year. Any amount awarded for Lincoln National Heritage Area activities must be matched dollar-for-dollar in state, local or private funds.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source