H.Con.Res. 281 is being considered on the floor under suspension of the rules and will require a two-thirds majority vote for passage. This legislation was introduced by Representative Donald Manzullo (R-IL) on January 23, 2008. The resolution was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on January 23, 2008, but was never considered.

H.Con.Res. 281 is expected to be considered on the floor of the House on February 12, 2008.

H.Con.Res. 281 resolves that the House of Representatives, in concurrence with the Senate, resolves that the United States Congress:

Ø       Requests that the President issue a proclamation each year recognizing the anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln and calling upon the people of the United States to observe such anniversary with appropriate ceremonies and activities; and

Ø       Encourages State and local governments and local educational agencies to devote sufficient time to study and appreciate the reverence and respect Abraham Lincoln had for the significance and importance of the Declaration of Independence in the development of American history, jurisprudence, and the spread of freedom around the world.

President Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. President Lincoln later moved to Illinois, where he served as a captain in the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War, was elected to the Illinois state legislature from 1834 to 1840, and was eventually elected to represent central Illinois to the United States House of Representatives.

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln would be inaugurated as the 16^th President of the United States. While serving as President during the Civil War, President Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all of the slaves in the Southern states that seceded from the Union on January 1, 1863. President Lincoln was reelected on November 8, 1864.

President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 15, 1865, two weeks into his second term. 

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