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1    AN ACT concerning transportation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Heroes
5Way Designation Program Act.
 
6    Section 5. Purpose. This Act establishes a designation
7program, to be known as the "Heroes Way Designation Program",
8to honor the fallen Illinois heroes who have been killed in
9action while performing active military duty with the United
10States Armed Forces.
 
11    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
12    "Department" means the Illinois Department of
13Transportation.
14    "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Illinois Department
15of Transportation.
16    "United States Armed Forces" means any branch of the United
17States Military, including National Guard and military reserve
18components.
 
19    Section 15. Heroes Way Designation Program.
20    (a) Any person who is related by marriage, adoption, or
21consanguinity within the second degree to a member of the

 

 

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1United States Armed Forces who was killed in action while
2performing active military duty with the Armed Forces, and who
3was a resident of this State at the time he or she was killed in
4action, may apply for a designation allowing the placement of
5an honorary sign alongside roads designated under the
6provisions of this Act.
7    (b) The honorary signs may be placed upon interstate or
8state-numbered highway interchanges or upon bridges or
9segments of highway under the jurisdiction of the Department
10according to the provisions of this Section, and any applicable
11federal and State limitations or conditions on highway signage,
12including location and spacing.
13    (c) Any person described under subsection (a) of this
14Section who desires to have an interstate or state-numbered
15highway interchange or bridge or segment of highway under the
16jurisdiction of the Department designated after his or her
17family member shall petition the Department by submitting an
18application in a form prescribed by the Secretary. The form
19shall include the amount of the fee under subsection (d) of
20this Section. The application must meet the following
21requirements:
22        (1) describe the interstate or state-numbered highway
23    interchange or bridge or segment of highway under the
24    jurisdiction of the Department for which the designation is
25    sought and the proposed name of the interchange, bridge, or
26    relevant segment of highway. The application shall include

 

 

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1    the name of at least one current member of the General
2    Assembly who will sponsor the designation. The application
3    may contain written testimony for support of the
4    designation;
5        (2) a signed form, prescribed by the Secretary,
6    certifying that the applicant is related by marriage,
7    adoption, or consanguinity within the second degree to the
8    member of the United States Armed Forces who was killed in
9    action; and
10        (3) the name of the member of the United States Armed
11    Forces for whom the designation is sought must be listed on
12    the National Gold Star Family Registry.
13    (d) After determining that the petitioner meets all of the
14application requirements of subsection (c), the Department
15shall submit a recommendation containing the proposed
16designations to the sponsor in the General Assembly named in
17the application. The Department shall be notified upon the
18approval or denial of a proposed designation. Upon the approval
19of a proposed designation, the petitioner shall submit a fee to
20be determined by the Secretary to cover the costs of
21constructing and maintaining the proposed signs on the
22interchange, bridge, or segment of highway. The fee shall not
23exceed the cost of constructing and maintaining each sign.
24    (e) The Department shall give notice of any proposed
25designation under this Section on the Department's official
26public website.

 

 

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1    (f) Two signs shall be erected for each interchange,
2bridge, or segment of highway designation processed under this
3Section.
4    (g) No interchange, bridge, or segment of highway may be
5named or designated under this Section if it carries an
6existing designation. A designated member of the United States
7Armed Forces shall not be eligible for more than one
8interchange, bridge, or segment of highway designation under
9this Section.
10    (h) All moneys received by the Department for the
11construction and maintenance of interchange, bridge, or
12segment of highway signs shall be deposited in the "Road Fund"
13of the State treasury.
14    (i) The documents and fees required under this Section
15shall be submitted to the Department.