Bill Text: IL HJR0048 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges the Architect of the Capitol to remove the new copper doors from the Capitol Building's west side entrance and auction them off or sell them to the highest bidder. Urges the Architect of the Capitol to direct the resulting funds towards the State's education system or the unpaid bills accrued by the State.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2014-12-03 - Session Sine Die [HJR0048 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-HJR0048-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, In 2009, Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a | ||||||
3 | 6-year, $31 billion construction program that invests in | ||||||
4 | Illinois' infrastructure; the program provides for the | ||||||
5 | building and repairing of roads and bridges, education and | ||||||
6 | higher education facilities, and economic development; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Included in the program was $50 million to | ||||||
8 | renovate the west wing of the State Capitol Building; the | ||||||
9 | renovation prioritized steps to make the building compliant | ||||||
10 | with health/life safety and Americans with Disabilities Act | ||||||
11 | rules and regulations, as well as asbestos removal and upgrades | ||||||
12 | to HVAC systems and structural elements to ensure the integrity | ||||||
13 | of the historic building is not compromised; and
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14 | WHEREAS, There is no doubt that the Capitol Building, as a | ||||||
15 | National Historic Landmark, should be preserved for future | ||||||
16 | generations; however, unnecessary expensive renovations that | ||||||
17 | go beyond upgrading the building's infrastructure have been | ||||||
18 | revealed; and
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19 | WHEREAS, The most outrageous expenditure is the | ||||||
20 | replacement of the west outside entrance glass doors to the | ||||||
21 | Capitol, which have been replaced by large wooden doors coated | ||||||
22 | with copper to match historical references to the original |
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1 | doors of the Capitol at a cost of nearly $670,000; and
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2 | WHEREAS, The State simply cannot afford to be spending | ||||||
3 | money on costly ornamental features in the Capitol Building, | ||||||
4 | especially with $5 billion in unpaid bills at the Comptroller's | ||||||
5 | Office and a public pension system with nearly $100 billion in | ||||||
6 | unfunded liabilities; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Our spending priorities must be placed on | ||||||
8 | restoring economic prosperity to the State of Illinois by | ||||||
9 | creating jobs and investing in our public education system; | ||||||
10 | therefore, be it
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11 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
12 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
13 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the Architect of the | ||||||
14 | Capitol to remove the new copper doors from the Capitol | ||||||
15 | Building's west side entrance and to auction them off or sell | ||||||
16 | them to the highest bidder; and be it further
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17 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Architect of the Capitol to | ||||||
18 | direct the revenue from the sale of the copper doors towards | ||||||
19 | Illinois' public education system or to pay down unpaid bills; | ||||||
20 | and be it further
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21 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
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1 | presented to members of the General Assembly, Governor Pat | ||||||
2 | Quinn, and the Architect of the Capitol.
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