House approves plan to fund Peoria museum
<p align="justify">A plan to set aside $12 million in state funding for the proposed Peoria Riverfront Museum took another step forward Thursday, when the House of Representatives approved it.
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<p align="justify">The vote was 80-23.
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<p align="justify">"I was very encouraged to get the bill out of here with that high level of support," said Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, who sponsored House Bill 4664. "We'll see what happens."
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<p align="justify">The legislation moves to the state Senate.
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<p align="justify">The state funding would help with the Riverfront Museum, which carries an estimated cost of $65 million to $75 million. Another part of the proposed riverfront project, a $40 million Caterpillar Inc. Visitors Center, would not get any public money.
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<p align="justify">Caterpillar has pledged $11 million toward the museum, but has said it would go ahead with the visitors center only if the museum gets enough funding.
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<p align="justify">During Thursday's debate on the House floor, Leitch said he hopes to enlist support from other Illinois museums so all of them can work together to obtain state funding.
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<p align="justify">"If we can get critical mass of support for it, we might actually get something accomplished," he said after the vote.
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<p align="justify">The only other House member to comment on the bill was Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, who asked whether the measure would appropriate $12 million from the Capital Development Bond Fund to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
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<p align="justify">DNR would grant the funds to the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
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<p align="justify">Leitch told Franks the answer to his question was yes.
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<p align="justify">Leitch added: "Probably your next question is where's the money. Well, this would anticipate, hopefully, at some point, a capital bill" that lawmakers and the governor would approve.
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<p align="justify">Franks then asked how much of the proposed $12 million would be earmarked for the Peoria museum. All of it, Leitch said, noting the overall project is much larger than that.
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<p align="justify">"I just wanted to make sure that we understood this was a $12 million appropriation for a museum in Peoria," Franks concluded. He wound up voting against the bill.
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<p align="center">Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.