Bills
| 3.23.22

Should I-57 in Illinois be Renamed the 'Barack Obama Highway'? (H.R. 45)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 45?

(Updated July 27, 2020)

This bill — the Barack Obama Highway Act — would rename the portion of Interstate Highway 57 (I-57) in Illinois as “Barack Obama Highway” in honor of the 44th president, who began his political career in Chicago.

Argument in favor

Former president Barack Obama began his political career in Chicago’s South Side. Renaming the portion of I-57 that goes through Illinois after him is a fitting way to recognize his connection to the state.

Argument opposed

This is a frivolous bill that doesn’t serve any specific purpose. Renaming only part of I-57 may also make it confusing to navigate if the name changes mid-highway.

Impact

Illinois; I-57; and Barack Obama.

Cost of H.R. 45

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) reintroduced this bill from the 115th Congress to designate the portion of Interstate Route 57 (I-57) located in Illinois as “Barack Obama Highway.”  When he introduced this bill in the 115th Congress, Rep. Rush said:

“Renaming a portion of I-57 will be a constant reminder of the legacy of President Barack Obama who started his historic political career in Illinois and was elected to the highest office in the land from our great state. This major interstate artery, which connects commuters, students, and tourists will serve as a powerful symbol of the connection President Obama not only had with the country but with the state he adopted as his own.”

In 2018, Rep. Rush acknowledged that this bill is in part a response to President Trump:

“I am convinced that given the current administration, and when you compare the current administration to the Obama administration … Americans, many of them in this nation, have an allegiance to Obama… He has risen to prominence.”

This bill has four Democratic cosponsors in the 116th Congress. Last Congress, Rep. Rush introduced this bill without any cosponsors and it didn’t see committee action.


Of Note: Rep. Rush’s office notes that I-57 is currently the second-longest two-digit Interstate Highway without an auxiliary route, and the only expressway crossing the Chicagoland area without a commonly-used name.

Former president Obama was elected to the Senate from Illinois in 2004, and was elected the 44th president four years later. Rep. Rush says that Obama’s successful political career “all started in the South Side of Chicago.” Writing in the Rockford Register Star, Chris Kaergard adds that Obama’s “time in Chicago and its politics helped clarify his presidential character to the world, and prepare him for the task.”


Media:

Summary by Lorelei Yang

(Photo Credit: Marc Nozell via Flickr / Creative Commons)