Sen. Kwame Raoul

Filed: 3/24/2009

 

 


 

 


 
09600SB0414sam002 LRB096 06436 MJR 24309 a

1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 414

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 414 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the H+T
5 Affordability Index Act.
 
6     Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds declares
7 all of the following:
8         (1) Illinois public transportation planning suffers
9     from a deficiency of State-level priorities and vision as
10     expressed through a strategic statewide transportation
11     plan to guide expansions and improvements to public
12     transportation networks across the State.
13         (2) Eighty-seven percent of Illinois' population
14     resides in 11 metropolitan areas, the places where 93% of
15     the State's gross domestic product is created.
16         (3) Regional visions and priorities are established by

 

 

09600SB0414sam002 - 2 - LRB096 06436 MJR 24309 a

1     Metropolitan Planning Organizations for urban areas
2     without reference to or guidance from a higher set of State
3     planning goals necessary to maximize the usefulness of all
4     modes of transportation, including public transit.
5         (4) Traditional definitions of affordability focus
6     only on housing costs and ignore transportation costs, the
7     second largest and fastest growing expenditure in a
8     household budget.
9         (5) The use of the H+T Affordability Index would help
10     establish more accurate assessments of cost of living in a
11     community by combining housing and transportation costs.
12         (6) The Center for Neighborhood Technology's analysis
13     of housing and transportation costs in 54 metro areas
14     demonstrates that housing and transportation costs equal
15     to 48% of income represents an achievable goal.
16         (7) True affordability is derived from living in
17     compact, mixed-use transit-rich communities where homes
18     are located near shopping, schools, and work.
19         (8) Residents of communities with low transportation
20     costs benefit from using transit to get around, owning
21     fewer cars, and driving them shorter distances, thereby
22     reducing environmental impacts in addition to lowering
23     their cost of living.
24         (9) A housing and transportation affordability
25     standard and screening criterion would be an appropriate
26     tool for guiding State plans and investments in housing,

 

 

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1     economic development, transportation, and other public
2     facilities.
 
3     Section 10. Definitions. For purposes of this Act:
4     "ARRA" means the American Recovery and Revitalization Act
5 of 2009, more commonly known as the Stimulus Package, which
6 allocated funding to both transportation and community
7 development efforts.
8     "CDB" means the Illinois Capital Development Board, which
9 is responsible for overseeing the design, construction,
10 repair, and renovation for State-funded, public buildings,
11 including, but not limited to, schools, colleges, museums, and
12 State recreation areas.
13     "Center for Neighborhood Technology" or "CNT" means the
14 Center for Neighborhood Technology, an Illinois private,
15 non-profit organization dedicated to finding sustainable
16 solutions to urban environmental and quality of life problems.
17     "DCEO" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
18 Opportunity, which is responsible for improving Illinois'
19 competitiveness in the global economy by administering
20 economic and workforce development programs.
21     "H+T Affordability Index" means the Housing and
22 Transportation Affordability Index, a tool designed by the
23 Center for Neighborhood Technology, which maps the combined
24 costs of housing and transportation for neighborhoods within a
25 metropolitan area.

 

 

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1     "IDOT" means the Department of Transportation, which is
2 responsible for State-wide planning of transportation and
3 transit development.
4     "IFA" means the Illinois Finance Authority, which is
5 responsible for issuing taxable and tax-exempt bonds, making
6 loans, and investing capital in initiatives that stimulate the
7 economy and create jobs.
8     "IHDA" means the Illinois Housing Development Authority,
9 which is responsible for State-wide planning of affordable
10 housing and community development.
11     "Metropolitan Planning Organization" refers to a regional
12 policy body, required by the federal government in urbanized
13 areas with populations over 50,000 to carry out the
14 metropolitan transportation planning requirements of federal
15 highway and transit legislation.
 
16     Section 15. Adoption of the H+T Affordability Index as a
17 State standard. The H+T Affordability Index shall be adopted by
18 CDB, DCEO, IDOT, IFA, and IHDA (1) as a tool for the
19 development of State-wide plans and (2) as a criterion in the
20 allocation of funding for transit, highways, economic
21 development, and housing projects; the distribution of
22 economic incentives to businesses; and the siting of public
23 facilities in Metropolitan Planning Organization areas.
 
24     Section 20. Adoption of H+T Affordability Index; agencies.

 

 

09600SB0414sam002 - 5 - LRB096 06436 MJR 24309 a

1     (a) DCEO, IDOT, IFA, and IHDA shall create a State
2 definition of affordability that incorporates both housing and
3 transportation costs and shall incorporate that definition
4 into all relevant statutes, plans, policies, and programs.
5     (b) DCEO, IDOT, IFA and IHDA shall incorporate housing and
6 transportation affordability as a criterion for screening and
7 prioritizing investments in transportation, housing, and
8 economic development projects.
9     (c) CDB shall include housing and transportation
10 affordability as a criterion for siting new public buildings.
11     (d) IDOT shall condition all transportation expansion
12 funds upon planning and zoning for compact, mixed-use
13 communities that include an affordable housing component,
14 which complies with the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal
15 Act.
16     (e) IDOT and IHDA shall jointly undertake to create an
17 integrated statewide housing and transportation plan designed
18 to guide investments in transportation and housing while
19 yielding affordable housing and transportation costs for
20 Illinois communities.".