Future of Chicago area transit funding uncertain after lawmakers miss deadline
Illinois lawmakers pass $55B budget with new taxes on vaping, sports gambling
State lawmakers passed the budget for the next fiscal year, meeting their midnight deadline over the weekend.
CHICAGO - Riders on the CTA, Pace, and Metra might be facing service cuts after state lawmakers failed to pass a bill aimed at preventing a $770 million funding shortfall.
The General Assembly didn't give final approval for a package to reform the transit agencies serving the Chicago area, even as they approved a $55 billion budget for the next fiscal year.
Missing the deadline
The backstory:
The Illinois Senate passed a package that would have consolidated all three transit agencies, provided a universal fare card, and called for "efficiencies" to save money.
There would also have been new revenue from taxes on rideshares and delivery services.
But the House of Representatives could not pass the bill by the midnight deadline on Saturday.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 15: Passengers board a Metra commuter train at Union Station on September 15, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Metra, which operates many of its suburban train routes on lines shared with freight rail companies, was preparing
So now, if the Democrat-controlled House aims to pass the package, they need a super majority of 71 votes during a special session or fall session. It’s an uphill task that might require buy-in from downstate lawmakers.
"This, to me, has to not just be about Chicago proper, or even the collar counties," said State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago). "It has to be about the entire State of Illinois. This needs to be a bill that finds ways to create transit opportunities for the entire state."
Buckner cited the need to help the transit system in Springfield, near the St. Louis border, and potentially create a "seamless" rail route between Chicago and Peoria, which doesn’t exist.
"There’s a lot of stuff we can do to make this palatable for the entire state," he added.
A Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) L train in the Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, US, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Roughly 50,000 people are expected in Chicago for the DNC, and local leaders are keen to buff up Chicago's pandemic-dinged image
‘What is our say?’
The other side:
There’s been considerable pushback to the plan from Republican and suburban representatives who argued the bill would subsidize Chicago riders and the CTA on the backs of suburban residents.
They want a bill that helps out Metra and Pace riders more.
Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge told Fox 32 that suburban leaders should have a bigger say about how the pie gets distributed.
"If we’re paying for it, what is our say?" Dodge said. "We want to be at that table in saying, OK, how do you balance this out so you really think appropriately about transportation in Chicago: roads, rails, buses, etc. So it’s a big problem and they need to fix it."