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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, Route 66 was designated in 1926 as America's
3		Mother Road, linking the heartland with the Pacific Ocean and
4		bringing millions of travelers to the many communities along
5		its route, thereby creating a significant economic engine from
6		Chicago to Los Angeles; and
7		WHEREAS, Upon the replacement of Route 66 by the interstate
8		system, which led to its decommissioning in 1985, an economic
9		hardship resulted for those local businesses that thrived on
10		providing services to the Route 66 traveler; and
11		WHEREAS, Route 66 has become an iconic symbol of America's
12		search for freedom, adventure, and prosperity which annually
13		brings travelers from around the world to discover America; and
14		WHEREAS, The U.S. Congress has recognized the importance of
15		the road by establishing the National Park Service's Rt. 66
16		Corridor Preservation Program in the National Trails Office in
17		1999 to foster preservation, economic development, and
18		marketing through matching grants, which has leveraged more
19		than $4 million in historic preservation investment; and
20		WHEREAS, The NPS Rt. 66 Corridor Preservation Program will
21		sunset in 2019, which would result in the lack of a federally

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