Bill to Establish Obama’s Birthday as Holiday Fails

Gina George/

Former U.S. President, Barack Obama, will not be celebrated with a holiday any time soon after a proposal that would have made his birthday a state holiday in Illinois failed to pass.

The measure would have authorised schools and state facilities to close in honour of Obama’s birthday, August 4, each year.

Only 54 members of Illinois’ House voted in favour of the measure, leaving the proposal six votes short of what is required to move over to the Illinois Senate, where Obama once served as Chicago’s delegate.

Republicans said closing state buildings on Obama’s birthday could have a negative economic effect, especially since the state’s Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget office already spends about $3.2 million in personnel expenses on state holidays. Not to mention the $16 million in lost productivity Illinois suffers from holidays each year.

Some opponents of the proposal also said establishing a holiday for Obama would only add to the “inconsistent way” presidents from the state are already celebrated. For instance, Illinois celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s birthday with a state holiday, but Ronald Reagan, who was from Tampico, Illinois, does not have a holiday.

Rep. Sonya Harper, who sponsored the proposal, is not giving up just yet.

After 12 House members did not vote on the measure, Harper was able to make a parliamentary move allowing her to try to gather more support for a second vote.

“President Barack Obama, he did great work for the state of Illinois and our country, and I believe we need to do our part in preserving that history,” Harper said to the Chicago Tribune, noting that it was also important to honor the U.S.’ first African-American president.

When Obama left office in January, he had a 59 percent approval rating, according to a Gallup Poll.

A separate ABC News/Washington Post poll found more than 60 percent of the country approved of the way Obama handled matters of the economy.

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