SPRINGFIELD - Central Illinois could receive up to $30 million over the next 15 years to promote Abraham Lincoln's legacy if President Bush signs legislation passed by the House this week.

Bush has said nothing publicly about the bill which U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, a Republican from Peoria, sponsored in the House and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., sponsored in the Senate.

But, Hal Smith, director of the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, said Wednesday the president is expected to sign the legislation, which includes a provision establish the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in the same 42 Central Illinois counties Smith's group serves. The region runs loosely from Ottawa to the north to Vandalia and Alton to the south and from Quincy to the west to Danville on the east.

The bill, which the House passed 291-117 Tuesday evening, designates Looking for Lincoln as the management entity of the heritage area.

The Senate earlier passed the same bill, which calls for the federal government to ante up $15 million in federal funds over 15 years for grants "to assist with preservation and education of the Lincoln story at sites and communities throughout the area," LaHood's office said in a release.

An added $15 million in matching funds will come from public and private sources on the state and local levels.

Smith said Looking for Lincoln will seek input on needs and plans from all the existing Lincoln sites in the heritage area. An overall plan eventually will be submitted to the National Parks Service, which will oversee the money.

"It's a great opportunity to advance how (present) sites are interpreted and find and preserve more sites," Smith said. "The people are going to know more and more about Lincoln."

The timing couldn't be better with this year's observance of the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and next year's celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday, Smith added.

LaHood noted he represents the same 11 counties Lincoln did during his single term in Congress.

"As we lead into the bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birth in 2009, I could not think of a better way to honor the Illinois legacy of Abraham Lincoln than the creation of this heritage area," LaHood said. "There are dozens of sites throughout this Heritage Area that have significant ties to Lincoln.

"This federal designation will allow for these sites to work together in such a way that will better convey to future generations the impact of Abraham Lincoln on our country, and the influence that Illinois had on Lincoln," he said.