SR0495 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Both the public and numerous states have shown great interest in high-speed rail as an efficient and environmentally friendly means of moving people and creating economic activity; and

WHEREAS, A 2,250-mile Midwestern high-speed rail network as envisioned under the United States Department of Transportation’s high-speed corridor designations could create more than 1 million permanent jobs and more than 450,000 construction jobs in the region; and

WHEREAS, Outside of California, the Midwest has the highest concentration of cities with a population of more than 300,000; most of those cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Cincinnati, could be served by a Midwest high-speed rail network; these metropolitan areas alone represent nearly 10% of the U.S. population and the Midwest region is home to one-third of the U.S. population; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, President Obama and the United States Congress demonstrated leadership and vision by jumpstarting high speed rail plans in the United States with an $8 billion allocation for high speed rail funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; and

WHEREAS, The Federal Rail Administration received pre-applications from 40 states totaling $103 billion this year and ultimately received 45 applications from 23 states totaling $50 billion, as well as an additional $7 billion in requests for corridor studies; these figures ultimately dwarfed the $8 billion to be allocated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; and

WHEREAS, In order to meet the demonstrated demand for high speed rail of at least $57 billion, the federal government needs to spend $8 billion every year for the next 7 years; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress is currently debating the amount of high speed rail funding to put into the annual budget this fall; while the U.S. House of Representatives appropriated $4 billion in the 2010 transportation appropriations bill (H.R. 3288), the U.S. Senate only appropriated $1.2 billion in its version; and

WHEREAS, A conference committee is set to finalize the allocation of high speed rail funding in the FY2010 federal budget; and

WHEREAS, The amount of high speed rail funding in the first federal budget since passage of the stimulus bill will determine whether or not the nation will continue to aggressively invest in high speed rail; the difference between the House's $4 billion allocation for high speed rail and the Senate's $1.2 billion for high speed rail is dramatic; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has appropriated funds for high speed rail; the Illinois General Assembly has allocated more than $850 million for railroad infrastructure in the capital bill, the single largest legislative-enacted appropriation of any state in the history of the nation for railroad infrastructure; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United States Senate to agree with the United States House of Representatives and spend $4 billion on high speed rail in the FY2010 budget in order to match the commitment to high speed rail demonstrated by the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we specifically urge U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Roland Burris to push for a $4 billion allocation for high speed rail in the FY2010 budget; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and United States Senators Dick Durbin and Roland Burris.