Illinois has designated August 4 as “Barack Obama Day” after a declaration from Governor Bruce Rauner. August 4 is the birthdate of the former Illinois State Senator and President. The first official Obama Day commences in 2018.
According to Senate Bill 55, Obama Day is meant to “set apart to honor the 44th President of the United States of America who began his career serving the People of Illinois in both the Illinois State Senate and the United States Senate, and dedicated his life to protecting the rights of Americans and building bridges across communities.” The bill was passed unanimously in the Senate.
Senator Emil Jones II introduced SB55, who is the son of former Senate President Emil Jones, Jr.
Jones Jr. believes himself to be the political “godfather” of Obama for his help in propelling Obama from the Illinois State Senate to the U.S. Senate in 2004.
Unfortunately for state workers, motions to make Obama Day a legal state holiday failed, making it only a commemorative holiday. So no extra days off. The opposition to making Obama Day a legal state holiday cited the fact that other former presidents affiliated with Illinois, such as Ronald Reagan and Ulysses Grant, didn’t have their own state holidays. Additionally, they argued that Illinois is too debt-laden to afford a day of closures for banks and state-run institutions.
“I don’t think it should be a formal holiday with paid, forced time off, but I think it should be a day of acknowledgment and celebration,” said Gov. Rauner. Barack Obama Day joins the ranks of other commemorative holidays such as Adlai Stevenson Day, Ronald Reagan Day and Jane Addams Day.
Also in the legislative pipeline is a July vote to rename the stretch of I-55 from the Tri-State Tollway down to mile marker 202 near Pontiac the “Barack Obama Presidential Expressway”.
