Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie

Filed: 5/19/2009

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 414

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 414, AS AMENDED, by
3 replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4 following:
 
5     "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the H+T
6 Affordability Index Act.
 
7     Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and
8 declares all of the following:
9     (1) Affordability is an important factor for establishing
10 and implementing infrastructure investment policies because it
11 helps ensure that all individuals in the State have an
12 opportunity for a high quality of life at a reasonable cost.
13     (2) Traditional definitions of affordability include
14 housing costs but not transportation costs, which are the
15 second largest and fastest growing expenditure in a household
16 budget.

 

 

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1     (3) It is beneficial to use definitions, indexes, and
2 policies that link housing and transportation costs to assist
3 in establishing investment plans for housing, transportation,
4 infrastructure, and economic development that more effectively
5 address the significant costs of living in Metropolitan
6 Planning Organization areas.
7     (4) The H+T Affordability Index is a tool that was designed
8 to calculate the transportation costs associated with a home's
9 location and to combine that cost with the cost of housing to
10 calculate affordability as a percentage of overall household
11 income.
12     (5) An analysis of housing and transportation costs in 54
13 metro areas nationally demonstrates that reducing the combined
14 cost of housing and transportation to 48% or less of income
15 represents a desirable and achievable goal; the H+T
16 Affordability Index has adopted 48% as the ratio of income to
17 housing and transportation costs.
18     (6) The analysis also reveals that affordability is
19 enhanced by locating residential units that have been
20 thoughtfully planned to lessen sprawl in mixed-use,
21 transit-rich communities near shopping, schools, and work, and
22 that residents of communities with low transportation costs
23 benefit from using transit for the mobility required to
24 undertake activities associated with daily life; residents of
25 these types of communities own fewer cars and drive them
26 shorter distances, thereby reducing environmental impacts and

 

 

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1 lowering their cost of living.
2     (7) A housing and transportation affordability standard,
3 such as that recommended by the H+T Affordability Index, is an
4 important consideration in the development of State plans and
5 investments in housing, transportation, economic development,
6 and other public facilities and infrastructure.
 
7     Section 10. Definitions. For purposes of this Act:
8     "Annual Comprehensive Housing Plan" means the plan created
9 by the Comprehensive Housing Planning Act (Public Act 94-965,
10 effective June 30, 2006).
11     "Context Sensitive Solution Process" means the process by
12 which IDOT develops the scope of transportation projects, in
13 accordance with Public Act 93-545, effective January 1, 2004.
14     "CDB" means the Illinois Capital Development Board, which
15 is responsible for overseeing the design, construction,
16 repair, and renovation for State-funded, public buildings,
17 including, but not limited to, schools, colleges, museums, and
18 State recreation areas.
19     "DCEO" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
20 Opportunity, which is responsible for improving Illinois'
21 competitiveness in the global economy by administering
22 economic and workforce development programs.
23     "HUD/DOT Sustainability Initiative" means an initiative
24 undertaken by the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban
25 Development ("HUD") and Transportation ("DOT") in partnership

 

 

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1 to help American families gain better access to affordable
2 housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation
3 costs.
4     "H+T Affordability Index" means the Housing and
5 Transportation Affordability Index, a tool that maps the
6 combined costs of housing and transportation for neighborhoods
7 within a metropolitan area.
8     "IDOT" means the Illinois Department of Transportation,
9 which is responsible for statewide planning of transportation
10 and transit development.
11     "IFA" means the Illinois Finance Authority, which is
12 responsible for issuing taxable and tax-exempt bonds, making
13 loans, and investing capital in initiatives that stimulate the
14 economy and create jobs.
15     "IHDA" means the Illinois Housing Development Authority,
16 which is responsible for financing affordable housing
17 development.
18     "Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transportation" or
19 "ICCT" means the committee created by Public Act 93-185,
20 effective July 11, 2003, to encourage the coordination of
21 public and private transportation services, with priority
22 given toward services directed toward those populations who are
23 not currently served or are underserved by existing public
24 transportation.
25     "Metropolitan Planning Organization" refers to a regional
26 policy body, required by the federal government in urbanized

 

 

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1 areas with populations over 50,000 and designated by local
2 officials and the Governor of the State to carry out the
3 metropolitan transportation planning requirements of federal
4 highway and transit legislation.
5     "Task Force" means the Task Force codified by the
6 Comprehensive Housing Planning Act (Public Act 94-965,
7 effective June 30, 2006), which is responsible for statewide
8 planning of affordable housing and creating Illinois' Annual
9 Comprehensive Housing Plan in cooperation with multiple
10 agencies, including IDOT, IHDA, and DCEO.
 
11     Section 15. Funding for non-Metropolitan Planning
12 Organization areas. Nothing in this Act shall reduce or divert
13 funds away from areas not located in a Metropolitan Planning
14 Organization area.
 
15     Section 20. Adoption of the H+T Affordability Index;
16 Metropolitan Planning Organization areas. The H+T
17 Affordability Index or substantially equivalent affordability
18 measure, where available, shall be adopted by DCEO, IDOT and
19 IHDA as (1) a tool for the development of plans in Metropolitan
20 Planning Organization areas and (2) a consideration for the
21 allocation of funding for public transportation, economic
22 development, and housing projects in Metropolitan Planning
23 Organization areas; the distribution of economic incentives to
24 businesses in Metropolitan Planning Organization areas; and

 

 

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1 the siting of public facilities in Metropolitan Planning
2 Organization areas, where appropriate.
 
3     Section 25. Adoption of H+T Affordability Index; agencies.
4     (a) The Task Force, in cooperation with the Interagency
5 Coordinating Committee on Transportation, shall consider the
6 H+T Affordability Index, results of the HUD/DOT Sustainability
7 Initiative, and the Context Sensitive Solution Process, along
8 with other applicable affordability measures, to create an
9 affordability definition and policy that incorporates housing
10 and transportation costs for Metropolitan Planning
11 Organization areas, where appropriate, and shall include both
12 in the Annual Comprehensive Housing Plan for Metropolitan
13 Planning Organization Areas.
14     (b) DCEO, IDOT, and IHDA may use the H+T Affordability
15 Index and other applicable affordability measures to ensure
16 consideration of the combined costs of housing and
17 transportation in screening and prioritizing investments in
18 public transportation, housing, and economic development
19 projects in Metropolitan Planning Organization areas, where
20 appropriate.
21     (c) CDB shall recommend the H+T Affordability Index to
22 ensure consideration of the combined costs of housing and
23 transportation when new public facilities are sited in
24 Metropolitan Planning Organization areas.
25     (d) IDOT shall use its Context Sensitive Solution Process

 

 

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1 for all transportation expansion projects within Metropolitan
2 Planning Organization areas and, where possible, shall work
3 with communities to enhance or provide opportunities for
4 transportation alternatives to personal automobiles where
5 mixed-use communities thoughtfully planned to lessen sprawl
6 exist or are appropriate.
7     (e) IFA shall recommend the H+T Affordability Index to
8 ensure consideration of the combined costs of housing and
9 transportation in siting new buildings in Metropolitan
10 Planning Organization areas.".