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91_HB1953enr
HB1953 Enrolled LRB9105701MWgc
1 AN ACT to amend the State Commemorative Dates Act by
2 adding Section 110.
3 WHEREAS, Civic prayers and national days of prayer have a
4 long and venerable history in our constitutional republic,
5 dating back to the First Continental Congress in 1775; and
6 WHEREAS, The Declaration of Independence, our first
7 statement as Americans of national purpose and identity, made
8 "the Laws of Nature and Nature's God" the foundation of our
9 United States of America and asserted that people have
10 inalienable rights that are God-given; and
11 WHEREAS, President Truman proclaimed a National Day of
12 Prayer in 1952; and
13 WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has affirmed the
14 right of state legislatures to open their sessions with
15 prayer, and both houses of the Illinois General Assembly, as
16 well as the United States Supreme Court and the United States
17 Congress themselves, begin each day with prayer; and
18 WHEREAS, In 1988, legislation setting aside the first
19 Thursday in May of each year as a National Day of Prayer was
20 passed unanimously by both Houses of Congress and signed by
21 President Ronald Reagan; and
22 WHEREAS, The National Day of Prayer is an opportunity for
23 Americans of all faiths to join in united prayer to
24 acknowledge our dependence on God, to give thanks for
25 blessings received, to request healing for wounds endured,
26 and to ask God to guide our leaders and bring wholeness to
27 the United States and her citizens; and
28 WHEREAS, It is fitting and proper to give thanks to God
29 by observing a day of prayer in Illinois when all may
30 acknowledge our blessings and express gratitude for them,
31 while recognizing the need for strengthening religious and
HB1953 Enrolled -2- LRB9105701MWgc
1 moral values in our State and nation; therefore
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The State Commemorative Dates Act is amended
5 by adding Section 110 as follows:
6 (5 ILCS 490/110 new)
7 Sec. 110. Day of Prayer in Illinois. The first Thursday
8 in May of each year is designated as a Day of Prayer in
9 Illinois, and the citizens of Illinois are urged to observe
10 the day in ways appropriate to its importance and
11 significance.
12 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13 becoming law.
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