SB2941 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 18325 RTM 31765 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB2941

Introduced 1/27/2026, by Sen. Adriane Johnson

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

70 ILCS 3615/4.03.3

Amends the Regional Transportation Authority Act. In provisions concerning taxes collected in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties and paid directly to the counties, provides that the county board of each county shall use those amounts to fund operating and capital costs of, among other things, facilities of county law enforcement. Provides that the funds shall be divided equally among all entities. Deletes provisions requiring that the funding the counties receive under the provisions shall not be used as the basis for reducing any funds that the counties would otherwise have received from the State, the Regional Transit Authority, the Commuter Rail Division, the Suburban Bus Division, or the Chicago Transit Authority. Makes other changes.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Regional Transportation Authority Act is amended by changing Section 4.03.3 as follows:

(70 ILCS 3615/4.03.3)

(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 104-457)

Sec. 4.03.3. Distribution of Revenues. This Section applies only after the Department begins administering and enforcing an increased tax under Section 4.03(m) as authorized by this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. After providing for payment of its obligations with respect to bonds and notes issued under the provisions of Section 4.04 and obligations related to those bonds and notes and separately accounting for the tax on aviation fuel deposited into the Local Government Aviation Trust Fund, the Authority shall disburse the remaining proceeds from taxes it has received from the Department of Revenue under this Article IV and the remaining proceeds it has received from the State under Section 4.09(a) as follows:

(a) With respect to taxes imposed by the Authority under Section 4.03, after withholding 15% of 80% of the receipts from those taxes collected in Cook County at a rate of 1.25%, 15% of 75% of the receipts from those taxes collected in Cook County at the rate of 1%, 15% of one-half of the receipts from those taxes collected in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties, and 15% of money received by the Authority from the Regional Transportation Authority Occupation and Use Tax Replacement Fund or from the Regional Transportation Authority tax fund created in Section 4.03(n), the Board shall allocate the proceeds and money remaining to the Service Boards as follows:

(1) an amount equal to (i) 85% of 80% of the receipts from those taxes collected within the City of Chicago at a rate of 1.25%, (ii) 85% of 75% of the receipts from those taxes collected in the City of Chicago at the rate of 1%, and (iii) 85% of the money received by the Authority on account of transfers to the Regional Transportation Authority Occupation and Use Tax Replacement Fund or to the Regional Transportation Authority tax fund created in Section 4.03(n) from the County and Mass Transit District Fund attributable to retail sales within the City of Chicago shall be allocated to the Chicago Transit Authority;

(2) an amount equal to (i) 85% of 80% of the receipts from those taxes collected within Cook County outside of the City of Chicago at a rate of 1.25%, (ii) 85% of 75% of the receipts from those taxes collected within Cook County outside the City of Chicago at a rate of 1%, and (iii) 85% of the money received by the Authority on account of transfers to the Regional Transportation Authority Occupation and Use Tax Replacement Fund or to the Regional Transportation Authority tax fund created in Section 4.03(n) from the County and Mass Transit District Fund attributable to retail sales within Cook County outside of the City of Chicago shall be allocated 30% to the Chicago Transit Authority, 55% to the Commuter Rail Board, and 15% to the Suburban Bus Board; and

(3) an amount equal to 85% of one-half of the receipts from the taxes collected within the Counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will shall be allocated 70% to the Commuter Rail Board and 30% to the Suburban Bus Board.

(b) Moneys received by the Authority on account of transfers to the Regional Transportation Authority Occupation and Use Tax Replacement Fund from the State and Local Sales Tax Reform Fund shall be allocated among the Authority and the Service Boards as follows: 15% of such moneys shall be retained by the Authority and the remaining 85% shall be transferred to the Service Boards as soon as may be practicable after the Authority receives payment. Moneys which are distributable to the Service Boards pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be allocated among the Service Boards on the basis of each Service Board's distribution ratio. The term "distribution ratio" means, for purposes of this subsection (b), the ratio of the total amount distributed to a Service Board pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 4.03.3 for the immediately preceding calendar year to the total amount distributed to all of the Service Boards pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 4.03.3 for the immediately preceding calendar year.

(c)(i) 20% of the receipts from those taxes collected in Cook County under Section 4.03 at the rate of 1.25%, (ii) 25% of the receipts from those taxes collected in Cook County under Section 4.03 at the rate of 1%, (iii) 50% of the receipts from those taxes collected in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties under Section 4.03, and (iv) amounts received from the State under Section 4.09 (a)(2) and items (i), (ii), and (iii) of Section 4.09 (a)(3) shall be allocated as follows: the amount required to be deposited into the ADA Paratransit Fund described in Section 2.01d, the amount required to be deposited into the Suburban Community Mobility Fund described in Section 2.01e, and the amount required to be deposited into the Innovation, Coordination and Enhancement Fund described in Section 2.01c, and the balance shall be allocated 48% to the Chicago Transit Authority, 39% to the Commuter Rail Board, and 13% to the Suburban Bus Board.

(d) Amounts received from the State under Section 4.09 (a)(3)(iv) shall be distributed 100% to the Chicago Transit Authority.

(e) With respect to those taxes collected in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties and paid directly to the counties under Section 4.03, the county board County Board of each county shall use those amounts to fund operating and capital costs of public safety operations, facilities of county law enforcement, and public transportation services and or facilities and or to fund operating, capital, right-of-way, construction, and maintenance costs of other transportation purposes, including road, bridge, public safety, and transit purposes intended to improve mobility or reduce congestion in the county. The funds shall be divided equally among all entities. The receipt of funding by such counties pursuant to this paragraph shall not be used as the basis for reducing any funds that such counties would otherwise have received from the State of Illinois, any agency or instrumentality thereof, the Authority, or the Service Boards.

(f) The Authority by ordinance adopted by 12 of its then Directors shall apportion to the Service Boards funds provided by the State of Illinois under Section 4.09(a)(1) as it shall determine and shall make payment of the amounts to each Service Board as soon as may be practicable upon their receipt provided the Authority has adopted a balanced budget as required by Section 4.01 and further provided the Service Board is in compliance with the requirements in Section 4.11.

(g) Beginning January 1, 2009, before making any payments, transfers, or expenditures under this Section to a Service Board, the Authority must first comply with Section 4.02a or 4.02b of this Act, whichever may be applicable.

(h) Moneys may be appropriated from the Public Transportation Fund to the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the costs incurred by the Executive Inspector General while serving as the inspector general for the Authority and each of the Service Boards. Beginning December 31, 2012, and each year thereafter, the Office of the Executive Inspector General shall annually report to the General Assembly the expenses incurred while serving as the inspector general for the Authority and each of the Service Boards.

(Source: P.A. 101-604, eff. 12-13-19.)

(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 104-457)

Sec. 4.03.3. Distribution of Revenues.

(a) (Blank).

(b) (Blank).

(c) (Blank).

(d) (Blank).

(d-5) For fiscal years 2027, 2028, and 2029, the Authority, after making deductions to cover the Authority's expenses, including Administrative Operating Expenses, Regional Services Operating Expense, Program and Project Expenses, Joint Self-Insurance Fund, and debt service obligations, and the cost of ADA paratransit service shall allocate operating revenue from all sources as follows:

(1) An amount to each Service Board equal to the amount of the total public funding and the federal relief funding the Service Board received in Fiscal Year 2025 under the Regional Budget adopted by the Authority in December 2024.

(2) Any amount remaining after the distribution under paragraph (1) shall be allocated to the Service Boards in proportion to the sum of each Service Board's percentage of:

(A) vehicle revenue miles;

(B) passenger miles traveled;

(C) unlinked passenger trips; and

(D) vehicle revenue hours.

(d-10) The Board of the Authority may, by ordinance, adjust the amounts allocated to each of the Service Boards under paragraph (2) of subsection (d-5) if it finds that the allocation of funds under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (d-5) has a disproportionately adverse impact on the service levels of any Service Board and shall make appropriate adjustments to address the disproportionate adverse impact.

(d-15) For fiscal years 2030, 2031, and 2032, the Authority, after making deductions to cover the Authority's expenses, including Administrative Operating Expenses, Regional Services Operating Expense, Program and Project Expenses, Joint Self-Insurance Fund, and debt service obligations and the cost of ADA paratransit service, shall allocate operating revenue from all sources to each Service Board in an amount equal to the amount of the total public funding and federal relief funding the Service Board received in Fiscal Year 2025 under the Annual Budget and 2-Year Financial Plan adopted by the Authority in December 2024. Any amount remaining after the distribution under subsection (d-10) shall be allocated to the Service Boards by the Authority under the service standards.

(d-20) For Fiscal Year 2033 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Authority, after making deductions to cover the Authority's expenses, shall allocate operating revenue from all sources to the Service Boards under the service standards.

(d-25) The allocation of funds for any fiscal year shall be sufficient to satisfy the debt service obligations of the Service Boards entered into in compliance with the requirements of this Act.

(e) With respect to those taxes collected in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties and paid directly to the counties under Section 4.03, the county board County Board of each county shall use those amounts to fund operating and capital costs of public safety operations, facilities of county law enforcement, and public transportation services and or facilities and or to fund operating, capital, right-of-way, construction, and maintenance costs of other transportation purposes, including road, bridge, public safety, and transit purposes intended to improve mobility or reduce congestion in the county. The funds shall be divided equally among all entities. The receipt of funding by such counties pursuant to this paragraph shall not be used as the basis for reducing any funds that such counties would otherwise have received from the State of Illinois, any agency or instrumentality thereof, the Authority, or the Service Boards.

(f) The Authority by ordinance approved by a supermajority vote shall apportion to the Service Boards funds provided by the State of Illinois under Section 4.09(a)(1) as it shall determine and shall make payment of the amounts to each Service Board as soon as may be practicable upon their receipt provided the Authority has adopted a balanced budget as required by Section 4.01 and further provided the Service Board is in compliance with the requirements in Section 4.11.

(g) Beginning January 1, 2009, before making any payments, transfers, or expenditures under this Section to a Service Board, the Authority must first comply with Section 4.02a or 4.02b of this Act, whichever may be applicable.

(h) Moneys may be appropriated from the Public Transportation Fund to the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the costs incurred by the Executive Inspector General while serving as the inspector general for the Authority and each of the Service Boards. Beginning December 31, 2012, and each year thereafter, the Office of the Executive Inspector General shall annually report to the General Assembly the expenses incurred while serving as the inspector general for the Authority and each of the Service Boards.

(Source: P.A. 104-457, eff. 6-1-26.)

Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other Public Act.