Illinois Lawmakers Approve $100 Million For Obama Library In Chicago Despite State's Financial Plight

The State of Illinois has been running multi-billion dollar deficits by going further into debt at the same time it has socked Illinois taxpayers with billions of dollars in higher taxes. Nonetheless, the Democratic-controlled legislature has endorsed a plan to contribute $100 million towards the construction of a presidential library for Barack Obama in an effort to win the bidding for the library's location. The Chicago Tribune reports:

Madigan said it's appropriate for Illinois to commit public funds for the library even though the state is grappling with serious financial problems.

"The state of Illinois will spend over $1 billion in construction this year alone, so $100 million is not out of line,” Madigan said after the House Executive Committee threw its support behind the library funding plan in a unanimous vote. “It's clearly a good investment for the future.”

While presidential libraries are traditionally funded mostly by private donations, Madigan pointed out that "close to $100 million in state money" was earmarked for the Abraham Lincoln presidential library in Springfield. "So we have precedent for this," he said.

Three Chicago universities plan to bid for the new library, including the University of Chicago, Chicago State University and the University of Illinois-Chicago. The proposed site near the University of Chicago calls for the demolition of a historic building where the late President Ronald Reagan's family once lived during his boyhood years. Officials in Hawaii and New York may also bid for the library. The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum referenced by Speaker Madigan is located in the state's capitol city of Springfield where Lincoln had his law office and served for a period of time in the state's House of Representatives before his election to Congress and later as President in 1860. The Lincoln Library opened in 2005.