[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 135 (Thursday, October 7, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ABRAHAM LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. BARON P. HILL

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 4, 1999

  Mr. HILL of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I want to offer my full support of 
H.R. 1451, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act.
  This bill would authorize the creation of the Abraham Lincoln 
Bicentennial Commission, a group charged with the responsibility of 
recommending to Congress activities to celebrate the bicentennial of 
President Lincoln's birth.
  I am particularly pleased that the bill has been amended to include 
commission members from my home state of Indiana.
  This is important because many people don't realize President Lincoln 
spent 14 years of his life on a small farm in Lincoln City, Indiana. 
There he helped his father on the farm and developed his love of 
reading. It was in Lincoln City that he also lost his mother, Nancy 
Hanks Lincoln, when he was nine years old. These events during his 
formative years in Indiana contributed greatly to the development of 
President Lincoln's extraordinary character.
  Mr. Speaker, the residents of Indiana are proud of this heritage. 
H.R. 1451 will help highlight the extraordinary life of our 16th 
president. No commemoration would be complete without noting southern 
Indiana's part in the Abraham Lincoln story. I encourage all Americans 
wishing to learn more about this American hero to visit Lincoln City, 
Indiana, and the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.
  I am pleased Congress is taking the initiative to promote and support 
the commemoration of such a remarkable figure in our American history.

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