SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Governor JB Pritzker signed 90 different bills into law Friday, according to the state, and one of them was a bipartisan bill some of Peoria’s representatives in the legislature backed.
The Governor signed a measure creating a task force to study and highlight the history of the state’s role in the Underground Railroad.
State Senator Dave Koehler’s office says a statewide plan will be developed to connect new and local projects, so that a full statewide history can be created.
“This task force will give students and residents a view of the rich history that exists throughout our communities,” said Koehler (D-Peoria), in a news release. “Educational opportunities like these will give residents and non-residents a new perspective on slavery and its impact toward our nation.”
The bill was initiated by Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman, who says there are many regional landmarks, but no way of connecting them together.
“This task force give us the ability to tie all of these regional pockets together to tell the story of just how long the path the Underground Rail Road was in Illinois, and the lengths that abolitionists and slaves took in search of freedom,” said Ackerman, in the release.
State Representatives Travis Weaver and Bill Hauter were among those backing the bill in the House.
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