093_HJ0008ham001

 










                                     LRB093 06629 KEF 11666 a

 1                AMENDMENT TO HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 8

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend House Joint  Resolution  8  by
 3    replacing lines 2 through 31 on page 1 and all of pages 2 and
 4    3 with the following:
 5        "WHEREAS,  The  Veterans  Classic  Sports  Foundation  is
 6    working  to  return  service  academy football to the City of
 7    Chicago; and

 8        WHEREAS, The football teams of the  United  States  Naval
 9    Academy  at  Annapolis and the United States Military Academy
10    at West Point meet annually for what is simply known  as  the
11    Army/Navy football game; and

12        WHEREAS,  The  Army/Navy football rivalry, which began in
13    1890 with a game played at West Point in which Navy beat Army
14    by a score of 24-0, has become and has continued to be one of
15    the greatest rivalries in American sports history; and

16        WHEREAS, At the 103rd and most recent Army/Navy  football
17    game,  which took place December 7, 2002 at Giants Stadium in
18    East Rutherford, New Jersey, over 78,000  fans  attended  the
19    event in which Navy beat Army by a score of 58-12; and

20        WHEREAS,  Soldier  Field,  which was opened officially on
21    October 9, 1924 as a monument to American soldiers  who  have
22    died  in  wars, was officially dedicated on November 27, 1926
 
                            -2-      LRB093 06629 KEF 11666 a
 1    during the 29th meeting of the Army and Navy  football  teams
 2    at which over 100,000 fans were in attendance to see the game
 3    which  ended  in  a  21-21 tie for which Navy was awarded the
 4    national championship; and

 5        WHEREAS, The renovation of Soldier  Field,  with  seating
 6    for  over  63,000  fans,  located  in  the  heart of downtown
 7    Chicago will be complete in time for the 110th meeting of the
 8    Army and Navy football teams in 2009;  and

 9        WHEREAS, Chicago is the nation's highway and air hub  due
10    to its central location in the United States with easy access
11    for  fans and tourists from all corners of our nation and due
12    to the two major airports, O'Hare and Midway, located  within
13    mere  miles  of  Soldier Field, that serve almost 100 million
14    passengers annually using over 40 airlines making over  3,300
15    flights to and from Chicago each day; and

16        WHEREAS,  Downtown  Chicago  is home to over 28,000 hotel
17    rooms and thousands of world-class restaurants, all of  which
18    either  neighbor  or  are within walking distance of Michigan
19    Avenue and its world-famous shopping opportunities, Navy Pier
20    and its nightly entertainment, and the Sears Tower  which  is
21    one of the world's tallest skyscrapers; and

22        WHEREAS,   The  Veterans  Classic  Sports  Foundation  is
23    focused on the possibility of hosting an Army/Air Force  game
24    or  Navy/Air  Force game in 2004 and beyond, and establishing
25    an annual college football game between a service academy and
26    a local college football  team,  in  addition  to  hosting  a
27    possible Army/Navy football contest in 2009; and

28        WHEREAS,   Illinois  is  home  to  approximately  950,000
29    military veterans, tens of thousands of  men  and  women  who
30    serve  in our nation's armed forces and the Illinois National
31    Guard, and over 2,600 graduates of the United  States  Naval,
 
                            -3-      LRB093 06629 KEF 11666 a
 1    Air  Force,  and Military Academies, 949 of whom attended the
 2    Naval Academy, 854 of whom attended the Military Academy, and
 3    833 of whom attended the Air Force Academy, whose hard  work,
 4    dedication,  and sacrifice to the United States and the State
 5    of Illinois would make it a pleasure to honor them by hosting
 6    future football contests involving  their  respective  teams;
 7    therefore, be it

 8        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
 9    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF  ILLINOIS,  THE
10    SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the elected representatives of
11    the  House  of  Representatives  and Senate, on behalf of the
12    City  of  Chicago  and  the   entire   State   of   Illinois,
13    respectfully   request  the  honor  to  host  the  110th  and
14    subsequent meetings of the football teams of Army  and  Navy,
15    and  the  honor  to  host  the  cadets  of  both academies in
16    addition to the hundreds  of  thousands  of  fans,  families,
17    supporters of both teams and Academies; and be it further

18        RESOLVED,  That  the  members of the House and Senate are
19    committed to assisting the Veterans Classic Sports Foundation
20    and the City of Chicago to meet any challenge and  cover  any
21    expense  necessary  to  return  service  academy  football to
22    Soldier Field and to allow the 110th and subsequent  meetings
23    of  the  Army and Navy football teams to be held in the State
24    of Illinois; and be it further

25        RESOLVED, That suitable  copies  of  this  resolution  be
26    furnished  to  the  men  and women of the United States Naval
27    Academy at Annapolis and the United States  Military  Academy
28    at  West  Point,  the  United  States  Air  Force  Academy at
29    Colorado Springs, the Veterans Classic Sports Foundation, the
30    City  of  Chicago,  and   each   member   of   the   Illinois
31    Congressional delegation.".