The Illinois House has approved a plan to make the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum its own agency but scuttles the governor's proposed privatization of business development in the state.
The House voted 69-47 Friday on the plan floated a year ago by Speaker Michael Madigan. It now moves to the Senate.
The measure separates the library and museum from the state's Historic Preservation Agency. Supporters say the library and museum needs autonomy to chart its own future.
The idea started as a deal between Madigan and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. But Democrats say a Rauner objection led them to set aside the governor's idea of creating a non-profit agency to handle business-expansion programs in exchange for the Lincoln institution separation.
