A state house bill might declare former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington’s birthday a state holiday.

Chicago Rep. Mary Flowers of the House Rules Commitee proposed the bill, HB2942, on Jan. 13. If passed, April 15, Washington’s birthday, would become a state, school and banking holiday.

Vincent Pentrini, Gov. James Thompson’s assistant press secretary, said, “The actual status of the bill is still in question. It is currently in the department of House Rules Commitee, but we haven’t seen or heard of the bill on the commitee floor yet.”

Dekalb Mayor Greg Sparrow also said, “We have not heard much about the bill, but I would have no opposition to the passing of it.” The extent of which the city of Dekalb would celebrate the holiday would be up to the city council and the legislation process, he said.

“I personally have no reason to oppose it,” Sparrow said. However, if the bill should go so far that the city council is required to vote on it, then it would be up to the collective bargain system and the major offices of the community to decide whether to close or not, he said.

The bill has not been heard in the House Rules Commitee and it is expected to have a long wait before it is heard. After it is heard, it must be passed by the same commitee. Then, if the bill makes it this far, it is brought to the floor for the voting process.

Rep. John Countryman, R-DeKalb, said, “I would vote against the bill. The reason being the same reason why I vote against most state holiday bills – we don’t need another holiday.

“Another state holiday closing schools and offices would not be beneficial for this state or the country. We can’t expect to progress if we are taking every other day off for a holiday.”

Countryman said he believed a new state holiday should not be declared for a mayor of a city. If the state should declare another state holiday to commemorate an outstanding state official, it should be a govenor of the state.

He also said society’s progression would face problems if people continued to press for “unneeded” holidays.

Larry Robertson, Student Association minority relations adviser, said, “I think that setting a day aside for the late Mayor Washington as a state holiday is a great idea. If the bill doesn’t get passed, then I still believe that a day should be set aside as a memorial, like a Harold Washington Day.

“I understand that there would be a lot of red tape to pass through in the legislation system, but since he was such a great politician and city leader there should definately be a day of memory in his honor.”