093_HB1106

 
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 1        AN ACT concerning transportation.

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

 4        Section 1.  Short title. This Act may  be  cited  as  the
 5    Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transportation Act.

 6        Section 5.  Findings; purpose. The General Assembly finds
 7    that  safe,  reliable,  and  convenient transportation to and
 8    from work and related destinations such  as  child  care  and
 9    education  is an extremely important factor in the ability to
10    find and retain employment, particularly in the lower  income
11    sectors of the economy. For many people, these transportation
12    needs  are  not  met by existing mass transit. This creates a
13    need for innovative transportation to  work  strategies  that
14    fit   within  local  circumstances.  Many  localities  around
15    Illinois do not  have  the  resources  or  the  expertise  to
16    develop   and   support  innovative  transportation  options.
17    Localities  need  access  to  technical  assistance  both  in
18    designing programs and in accessing various sources of  State
19    and  federal  funds. Illinois also leaves substantial federal
20    transportation funds unclaimed because of the failure to  put
21    forward  projects  to  use  the  funds.  Thus, Illinois would
22    benefit from an Interagency  Coordinating  Committee  to  set
23    priorities  and  define  a  vision  for  improving  access to
24    transportation   for   the   transportation    disadvantaged.
25    Illinois  would  also benefit from a unified State process to
26    apply for federal transportation  assistance  for  innovative
27    transportation  to  work  projects  and  strategies  and  for
28    supplying the matching funds necessary to access that federal
29    assistance.  The  purpose  of  this  Act  is to establish the
30    Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transportation.
 
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 1        Section 10.  Definitions. As used in this Act:
 2             (1)  "Agency"   means   an   official,   commission,
 3        authority,  council,  department,  committee,   division,
 4        bureau,  board, or any other unit or entity of the State,
 5        a municipality, a county, or other local  governing  body
 6        or   a   private  not-for-profit  transportation  service
 7        providing agency.
 8             (2)  "Committee"  means  the  Illinois  Coordinating
 9        Committee on Transportation.
10             (3)  "Coordination" means the  arrangement  for  the
11        provision    of    transportation    services    to   the
12        transportation  disadvantaged  in  a   manner   that   is
13        cost-effective,  efficient, and reduces fragmentation and
14        duplication of services.
15             (4)  "Transportation   disadvantaged"  means   those
16        persons  who,  because  of physical or mental disability,
17        income status,  age,  location  of  residence,  or  other
18        reasons are unable to transport themselves or to purchase
19        affordable  transportation  and are, therefore, dependent
20        upon others to obtain access to health care,  employment,
21        education,   shopping,   social   activities,   or  other
22        life-sustaining activities.

23        Section  15.  Committee.    The   Illinois   Coordinating
24    Committee  on  Transportation is created and shall consist of
25    the following members:
26             (1)  The Governor or his or her designee.
27             (2)  The Secretary of Transportation or his  or  her
28        designee.
29             (3)  The  Secretary of Human Services (or his or her
30        designee)  and  one  additional  representative  of   the
31        Department of Human Services designated by the Secretary.
32             (4)  The Director of Aging or his or her designee.
33             (5)  The  Director  of  Public  Aid  or  his  or her
 
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 1        designee.
 2             (6)  The Director of Commerce and Community  Affairs
 3        or his or her designee.
 4             (7)  A  representative of the Illinois Rural Transit
 5        Assistance Center.
 6             (8)  A person  who  is  a  member  of  a  recognized
 7        statewide  organization  representing  older residents of
 8        Illinois.
 9             (9)  A representative  of  centers  for  independent
10        living.
11             (10)  A   representative   of  the  Illinois  Public
12        Transportation Association.
13             (11)  A representative of an existing transportation
14        system that coordinates and provides transit services  in
15        a multi-county area for the Department of Transportation,
16        Department  of Human Services, Department of Commerce and
17        Community Affairs, or Department on Aging.
18             (12)  A representative of a  statewide  organization
19        of   rehabilitation  facilities  or  other  providers  of
20        services for persons with one or more disabilities.
21             (13)  A representative of the  Illinois  Council  on
22        Developmental Disabilities.
23             (14)  A   representative   of   a   community  based
24        organization.
25             (15)  A representative of the Department  of  Public
26        Health.
27             (16)  A representative of the Rural Partners.
28        The  Governor  shall appoint the members of the Committee
29    other than those named in paragraphs (1) through (6) of  this
30    Section.  The  Governor or his or her designee shall serve as
31    chairperson of the Committee and shall convene  the  meetings
32    of  the  Committee.  The  Secretary  of  Transportation and a
33    representative of a community based organization involved  in
34    transportation   or   their   designees,   shall   serve   as
 
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 1    co-vice-chairpersons  and  shall  be  responsible  for  staff
 2    support for the committee.

 3        Section  20.  Duties  of  Committee.  The Committee shall
 4    encourage   the   coordination   of   public   and    private
 5    transportation  services,  with  priority  given  to services
 6    directed toward  those  populations  who  are  currently  not
 7    served  or  who  are  underserved by existing public transit.
 8    The Committee shall aim to  reduce  duplicative  services  in
 9    order to achieve a transportation system that serves the most
10    citizens  possible  in  the most cost-effective and efficient
11    manner  possible.  The  Committee   shall   seek   innovative
12    approaches  to  providing  and  funding  local transportation
13    services and offer their expertise to communities  statewide.
14    Specifically, the Committee shall:
15             (1)  Coordinate   State   efforts   within   federal
16        guidelines  to  facilitate  coordination of human service
17        transportation programs.
18             (2)  Establish  statewide  priorities  and  draft  a
19        strategic  plan.   These   priorities   should   include:
20        developing    objectives    for    providing    essential
21        transportation    services    to    the    transportation
22        disadvantaged;   developing   a  process  for  requesting
23        federal funds such as the Job Access and Reverse  Commute
24        (JARC)   Grant  program  that  is  based  on  input  from
25        communities   statewide;   assisting    communities    in
26        identifying   funds  from  other  available  sources  for
27        projects that are not an eligible use of JARC funds;  and
28        developing  a  long-range  plan  to  identify and recruit
29        potential stakeholders in future community transportation
30        initiatives.
31             (3)  Develop  goals   and   objectives   to   reduce
32        duplication  of  services and achieve coverage that is as
33        complete as possible.
 
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 1             (4)  Address any and  all  transportation   barriers
 2        and propose solutions to eliminate these barriers.
 3             (5)  Serve  as a clearinghouse for information about
 4        funding  sources   and   innovations   in   serving   the
 5        transportation disadvantaged.
 6             (6)  Submit  a  report,  not  later than February 1,
 7        2005, to the  Governor  and  the  General  Assembly  that
 8        outlines the progress made by the Committee in performing
 9        its  duties  set  forth  in paragraphs (1) through (6) of
10        this Section and makes recommendations for statutory  and
11        regulatory changes to promote coordination.

12        Section  99.  Effective  date. This Act takes effect upon
13    becoming law.