HB4990eng 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4990 Engrossed LRB102 23512 RJF 32692 b

AN ACT concerning finance.

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

Section 5. The Downstate Public Transportation Act is amended by changing Section 2-7 as follows:

(30 ILCS 740/2-7) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 667)

Sec. 2-7. Quarterly reports; annual audit.

(a) Any Metro-East Transit District participant shall, no later than 60 days following the end of each quarter of any fiscal year, file with the Department on forms provided by the Department for that purpose, a report of the actual operating deficit experienced during that quarter. The Department shall, upon receipt of the quarterly report, determine whether the operating deficits were incurred in conformity with the program of proposed expenditures and services approved by the Department pursuant to Section 2-11. Any Metro-East District may either monthly or quarterly for any fiscal year file a request for the participant's eligible share, as allocated in accordance with Section 2-6, of the amounts transferred into the Metro-East Public Transportation Fund.

(b) Each participant other than any Metro-East Transit District participant shall, 30 days before the end of each quarter, file with the Department on forms provided by the Department for such purposes a report of the projected eligible operating expenses to be incurred in the next quarter and 30 days before the third and fourth quarters of any fiscal year a statement of actual eligible operating expenses incurred in the preceding quarters. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b-5), within 45 days of receipt by the Department of such quarterly report, the Comptroller shall order paid and the Treasurer shall pay from the Downstate Public Transportation Fund to each participant an amount equal to one-third of such participant's eligible operating expenses; provided, however, that in Fiscal Year 1997, the amount paid to each participant from the Downstate Public Transportation Fund shall be an amount equal to 47% of such participant's eligible operating expenses and shall be increased to 49% in Fiscal Year 1998, 51% in Fiscal Year 1999, 53% in Fiscal Year 2000, 55% in Fiscal Years 2001 through 2007, and 65% in Fiscal Year 2008 and thereafter; however, in any year that a participant receives funding under subsection (i) of Section 2705-305 of the Department of Transportation Law (20 ILCS 2705/2705-305), that participant shall be eligible only for assistance equal to the following percentage of its eligible operating expenses: 42% in Fiscal Year 1997, 44% in Fiscal Year 1998, 46% in Fiscal Year 1999, 48% in Fiscal Year 2000, and 50% in Fiscal Year 2001 and thereafter. Any such payment for the third and fourth quarters of any fiscal year shall be adjusted to reflect actual eligible operating expenses for preceding quarters of such fiscal year. However, no participant shall receive an amount less than that which was received in the immediate prior year, provided in the event of a shortfall in the fund those participants receiving less than their full allocation pursuant to Section 2-6 of this Article shall be the first participants to receive an amount not less than that received in the immediate prior year.

(b-5) (Blank.)

(b-10) On July 1, 2008, each participant shall receive an appropriation in an amount equal to 65% of its fiscal year 2008 eligible operating expenses adjusted by the annual 10% increase required by Section 2-2.04 of this Act. In no case shall any participant receive an appropriation that is less than its fiscal year 2008 appropriation. Every fiscal year thereafter, each participant's appropriation shall increase by 10% over the appropriation established for the preceding fiscal year as required by Section 2-2.04 of this Act.

(b-15) Beginning on July 1, 2007, and for each fiscal year thereafter, each participant shall maintain a minimum local share contribution (from farebox and all other local revenues) equal to the actual amount provided in Fiscal Year 2006 or, for new recipients, an amount equivalent to the local share provided in the first year of participation. The local share contribution shall be reduced by an amount equal to the total amount of lost revenue for services provided under Section 2-15.2 and Section 2-15.3 of this Act.

(b-20) Any participant in the Downstate Public Transportation Fund may use State operating assistance funding pursuant to this Section to provide transportation services within any county that is contiguous to its territorial boundaries as defined by the Department and subject to Departmental approval. Any such contiguous-area service provided by a participant after July 1, 2007 must meet the requirements of subsection (a) of Section 2-5.1.

(c) No later than 180 days following the last day of the participant's Fiscal Year each participant shall provide the Department with an audit prepared by a Certified Public Accountant covering that Fiscal Year. For those participants other than a Metro-East Transit District, any discrepancy between the funds paid and the percentage of the eligible operating expenses provided for by paragraph (b) of this Section shall be reconciled by appropriate payment or credit. In the case of any Metro-East Transit District, any amount of payments from the Metro-East Public Transportation Fund which exceed the eligible deficit of the participant shall be reconciled by appropriate payment or credit.

(d) Upon the Department's final reconciliation determination that identifies a discrepancy between the Downstate Operating Assistance Program funds paid and the percentage of the eligible operating expenses which results in a reimbursement payment due to the Department, the participant shall remit the reimbursement payment to the Department no later than 90 days after written notification.

(e) Funds received by the Department from participants for reimbursement as a result of an over payment from a prior State fiscal year shall be deposited into the Downstate Public Transportation Fund in the fiscal year in which they are received and all unspent funds shall roll to following fiscal years.

(f) Upon the Department's final reconciliation determination that identifies a discrepancy between the Downstate Operating Assistance Program funds paid and the percentage of the eligible operating expenses which results in a reimbursement payment due to the participant, the Department shall remit the reimbursement payment to the participant no later than 90 days after written notifications.

(Source: P.A. 102-626, eff. 8-27-21.)