Obama Signs Bill Establishing Reagan Centennial Celebration

With former First Lady Nancy Reagan at his side, President Obama signed a bill creating a commission to plan events celebrating President Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday.

Obama signed the bill in the Diplomatic Room of the White House.

"President Reagan helped as much as any president to restore a sense of optimism in our country, a spirit that transcended politics -- that transcended even the most heated arguments of the day," Obama said. "It was this optimism that the American people sorely needed during a difficult period -- a period of economic and global challenges that tested us in unprecedented ways."

Mrs. Reagan recently suffered a fractured hip and had to use a cane.