By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed legislation to create a commission that would recommend ways to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Route 66, which was commissioned in 1926 as the first all-paved U.S. highway. The “Route 66 Centennial Commission Act,” S. 1014, creates a 15-person commission with representatives appointed by the President of the United States, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Speaker of the U.S. House, President of the U.S. Senate, and Governors of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
The bill provides the commission with five years to make recommendations to the President and Congress, outlining financial and administrative responsibilities for celebrating the 100th anniversary. The commission may recommend the production of various written materials, films and documentaries, education programs, artistic works, commemorative memorabilia and celebrations to commemorate Route 66’s storied history.
The bipartisan bill now awaits action on the U.S. Senate floor. A similar version of the bill, H.R. 66, passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year by a margin of 393 to 22.
For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.