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| Lawmakers Call for Historic Sites Funding Cuts Reversal |
Two local lawmakers are pushing for their colleagues to consider a bill that will restore funding the Governor cut from the state budget to the state's historic sites, so that the closings of them will only be, at best, temporary.
State Representatives Don Moffitt and Mike Boland have introduced a bill to restore almost $8-million in salary and operational expenses to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's budget, now that it's been learned that hundreds of sites across the state will either close or have hours severely reduced.
Among them, both the Carl Sandburg Birthplace in Galesburg, and in Bishop Hill, the Museum, Colony Church, and Bjorkland Hotel, all will close October 1st except for special events.
Moffitt says getting the bill passed will be an uphill battle.
"We don't know if we can pass this. The only thing we know for certain is if we do nothing, we will get nothing. And this is one opportunity we have to try and we're gonna give it our best shot."
Boland says cutting money from state historic sites isn't like cutting money from your home budget.
"This is not a luxury item. This is fundamentally an investment that pays back to us not only culturally and historically for our children and grandchildren, but economically."
The two say that's because tourism equals jobs and sales tax dollars, so why cut funding from something that's making the state money.
They say unless a special session is called, the earliest their bill would be taken up is the fall veto session.
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| 08 28 08 by Newsroom |
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