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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Route 66 was designated in 1926 as America's
3Mother Road, linking the heartland with the Pacific Ocean and
4bringing millions of travelers to the many communities along
5its route, thereby creating a significant economic engine from
6Chicago to Los Angeles; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Upon the replacement of Route 66 by the interstate
8system, which led to its decommissioning in 1985, an economic
9hardship resulted for those local businesses that thrived on
10providing services to the Route 66 traveler; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Route 66 has become an iconic symbol of America's
12search for freedom, adventure, and prosperity which annually
13brings travelers from around the world to discover America; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The U.S. Congress has recognized the importance of
15the road by establishing the National Park Service's Rt. 66
16Corridor Preservation Program in the National Trails Office in
171999 to foster preservation, economic development, and
18marketing through matching grants, which has leveraged more
19than $4 million in historic preservation investment; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The NPS Rt. 66 Corridor Preservation Program will
21sunset in 2019, which would result in the lack of a federally

 

 

HR1113- 2 -LRB100 22109 MST 40509 r

1designated organization to coordinate, fund, and support
2mutually beneficial activities on Route 66; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership, a
4collaborative not-for-profit organization, was established to
5create a national coordinating structure and supports and
6promotes the idea of designating Rt. 66 as a National Historic
7Trail as the best means for ensuring a federal-level focus on
8Rt. 66; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
10HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11urge the U.S. Congress to Pass H.R.801, introduced by U.S.
12Representative Darin LaHood, which would create the Route 66
13Historic Trail; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15delivered to all members of the Illinois Congressional
16Delegation and President Donald J. Trump.