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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Public transit is essential for the overall
3economic health and prosperity of the Chicagoland area; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Mass transit is an integral, essential part of the
5strengths that make the Northeastern Illinois region
6world-class; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Many people rely on the services provided by the
8Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago Transit Authority,
9Suburban Bus Division, and Commuter Rail Division (Authority
10and Service Boards) to get them safely and efficiently to their
11desired destinations; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Mass transit should continue to play a central
13role in our communities by:
14        (1) strengthening neighborhoods, government and
15    community services, and business districts and supporting
16    civic events by making them more accessible;
17        (2) providing a viable alternative to the automobile
18    for residents who cannot or choose not to drive an
19    automobile;
20        (3) reducing traffic congestion, energy consumption,
21    and automobile emissions;
22        (4) reducing the need to create additional parking

 

 

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1    facilities; and
2        (5) supporting the independence of the elderly and
3    people with disabilities; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Mass transit is essential to creating and
5sustaining a strong job market; for every dollar invested in
6public transit, local economies receive $8 in economic
7activity; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Authority is the third largest public
9transportation system in North America and provides more than 2
10million rides a day; the services provided by the Authority
11cover 7,200 route miles in a 6-county region with a population
12of approximately 8,000,000 people; the combined assets of the
13Authority are valued at more than $36 billion and include 5,640
14bus and rail cars and 650 vanpool vehicles; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Authority and Service Boards must work
16cohesively to modernize and maintain the transit system in
17order to produce a more efficient, convenient, and
18consumer-friendly transit system; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
21SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the House of Representatives'
22Mass Transit Committee and the Senate's Transportation

 

 

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1Committee hold at least one joint hearing no earlier than July
21, 2011 and no later than December 1, 2011 to take testimony
3from the Authority and the Service Boards concerning the
4following goals:
5        (1) ensure that the Authority and the Service Boards
6    have a strategic capital plan that focuses on reducing
7    overall operating expenditures;
8        (2) harness the Authority's and Service Boards'
9    purchasing power to achieve cost savings and improved
10    efficiency wherever possible;
11        (3) create a plan to maximize the use of the transit
12    system;
13        (4) improve the experience of customers;
14        (5) increase the coordination among the Service
15    Boards; and
16        (6) create a unified marketing, outreach, and
17    government affairs approach for the Authority and the
18    Service Boards; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That prior to the first joint meeting of the
20committees, the Authority, in conjunction with the Service
21Boards, must submit a report to the committees setting forth
22its goals and accomplishments concerning the creation of a more
23modern and efficient mass transit system; the report must be
24submitted by no later than July 1, 2011; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the Authority provide administrative and
2other support to the committees; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That on or before December 31, 2011, the
4committees must jointly report to the General Assembly their
5findings concerning the creation of a more modern and efficient
6mass transit system; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That the requirement for reporting to the General
8Assembly shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with
9the Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the House of
10Representatives, the President, the Minority Leader, and the
11Secretary of the Senate, and the Legislative Research Unit, as
12required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization
13Act, and filing additional copies with the State Government
14Report Distribution Center for the General Assembly as required
15under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State Library Act.