Thursday, July 6, 2006
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Establishes State Commission to Honor Abraham Lincoln
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt signed Executive Order 06-24 establishing the Missouri Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
“This Commission is being created to ensure that Missourians can appropriately honor the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln, a man who believed that all men were created equal,” Blunt said. “The bicentennial of his birth provides a great opportunity to remember his many accomplishments.”
The Missouri Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission is modeled after the federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission that Congress created to recommend federal activities to honor our 16th president in his bicentennial year of 2009. The Missouri commission is responsible for recommending activities to be carried out at the state level that will educate Missourians about Lincoln’s life, assist local governments and organizations with bicentennial events and projects, and coordinate federal, state and local events honoring Lincoln’s bicentennial in Missouri.
The commission will be made of 10 members with the governor appointing one member of each political party to serve as co-chairs. The speaker of the house and president pro tem of the Senate will select two members from their respective chambers representing each political party. The commission make up will also include the state representative to the federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Governor’s Council and five members with backgrounds in tourism, education, civil rights, economic development or historical or civic backgrounds to be appointed by the governor.
The Missouri Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission expires on December 31, 2009.
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