Public Act 102-0261
 
HB0399 EnrolledLRB102 03974 HEP 13990 b

    AN ACT concerning transportation.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
High-Speed Railway Commission Act.
 
    Section 5. Commission created; membership.
    (a) There is created the High-Speed Railway Commission to
carry out the duties set forth in Section 10.
    (b) The Commission shall be composed of the following
members:
        (1) The Governor or his or her designee.
        (2) The President of the Senate or his or her
    designee.
        (3) The Minority Leader of the Senate or his or her
    designee.
        (4) The Speaker of the House or his or her designee.
        (5) The Minority Leader of the House or his or her
    designee.
        (6) The Secretary of Transportation or his or her
    designee.
        (7) The Chairperson of the Illinois State Toll Highway
    Authority or his or her designee.
        (8) The Chairperson of the Illinois Commerce
    Commission or his or her designee.
        (9) The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Metra
    or his or her designee.
        (10) The Mayor of the City of Chicago or his or her
    designee.
        (11) A representative of a labor organization
    representing rail workers.
        (12) A representative of a trade organization related
    to the rail industry.
        (13) A representative of the Metropolitan Mayors and
    Managers Association.
        (14) A representative from the Illinois Railroad
    Association.
        (15) A representative from the University of Illinois
    System.
        (16) A representative from the Chicago Metropolitan
    Agency for Planning.
        (17) A representative of the Illinois Municipal
    League.
        (18) A representative of the Champaign-Urbana Mass
    Transit District.
        (19) A representative of the Region 1 Planning
    Council.
        (20) A representative of the McLean County Regional
    Planning Commission.
        (21) A representative of the East-West Gateway Council
    of Governments.
    (c) The Chairperson of the Commission shall be elected
from the Commission's membership by a simple majority vote of
the total membership of the Commission. The Vice-Chairperson
of the Commission shall be elected from the Commission's
membership by a simple majority vote of the total membership
of the Commission.
    (d) The Governor, President of the Senate, Minority Leader
of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives shall make
their initial appointments to the Commission by January 1,
2022.
    (e) Vacancies in Commission membership shall be filled in
the same manner as initial appointments.
    (f) Total membership of the Commission consists of the
number of members serving on the Commission, not including any
vacant positions. A quorum consists of a simple majority of
total membership and shall be sufficient to conduct the
business of the Commission, unless stipulated otherwise in the
bylaws of the Commission.
    (g) The Commission shall meet at least quarterly.
 
    Section 10. Duties of Commission. The High-Speed Railway
Commission shall create a statewide plan for a high-speed rail
line and feeder network connecting St. Louis, Missouri and
Chicago, Illinois that includes current existing Amtrak and
Metra services, connects the cities of Rockford, Moline,
Peoria, and Decatur, and uses inter-city bus service to
coordinate with the rail line. The Commission shall conduct a
ridership study and shall make findings and recommendations
concerning a governance structure, the frequency of service,
and implementation of the plan. The Commission shall report to
the General Assembly and the Governor no later than December
31 of each year.
 
    Section 15. Administrative support. The Department of
Transportation shall provide administrative and other support
to the Commission.
 
    Section 20. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
2027.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/6/2021