SB0414eng 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0414 Engrossed LRB096 06436 RCE 16520 b

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the H+T Affordability Index Act.

Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares all of the following:

(1) Illinois public transportation planning suffers from a deficiency of State-level priorities and vision as expressed through a strategic statewide transportation plan to guide expansions and improvements to public transportation networks across the State.

(2) Eighty-seven percent of Illinois' population resides in 11 metropolitan areas, the places where 93% of the State's gross domestic product is created.

(3) Regional visions and priorities are established by Metropolitan Planning Organizations for urban areas without reference to or guidance from a higher set of State planning goals necessary to maximize the usefulness of all modes of transportation, including public transit.

(4) Traditional definitions of affordability focus only on housing costs and ignore transportation costs, the second largest and fastest growing expenditure in a household budget.

(5) The use of the H+T Affordability Index would help establish more accurate assessments of cost of living in a community by combining housing and transportation costs.

(6) The Center for Neighborhood Technology's analysis of housing and transportation costs in 54 metro areas demonstrates that housing and transportation costs equal to 48% of income represents an achievable goal.

(7) True affordability is derived from living in compact, mixed-use transit-rich communities where homes are located near shopping, schools, and work.

(8) Residents of communities with low transportation costs benefit from using transit to get around, owning fewer cars, and driving them shorter distances, thereby reducing environmental impacts in addition to lowering their cost of living.

(9) A housing and transportation affordability standard and screening criterion would be an appropriate tool for guiding State plans and investments in housing, economic development, transportation, and other public facilities.

Section 10. Definitions. For purposes of this Act:

"ARRA" means the American Recovery and Revitalization Act of 2009, more commonly known as the Stimulus Package, which allocated funding to both transportation and community development efforts.

"CDB" means the Illinois Capital Development Board, which is responsible for overseeing the design, construction, repair, and renovation for State-funded, public buildings, including, but not limited to, schools, colleges, museums, and State recreation areas.

"Center for Neighborhood Technology" or "CNT" means the Center for Neighborhood Technology, an Illinois private, non-profit organization dedicated to finding sustainable solutions to urban environmental and quality of life problems.

"DCEO" means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which is responsible for improving Illinois' competitiveness in the global economy by administering economic and workforce development programs.

"H+T Affordability Index" means the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index, a tool designed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, which maps the combined costs of housing and transportation for neighborhoods within a metropolitan area.

"IDOT" means the Department of Transportation, which is responsible for statewide planning of transportation and transit development.

"IFA" means the Illinois Finance Authority, which is responsible for issuing taxable and tax-exempt bonds, making loans, and investing capital in initiatives that stimulate the economy and create jobs.

"IHDA" means the Illinois Housing Development Authority, which is responsible for statewide planning of affordable housing and community development.

"Metropolitan Planning Organization" refers to a regional policy body, required by the federal government in urbanized areas with populations over 50,000 to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning requirements of federal highway and transit legislation.

Section 15. Adoption of the H+T Affordability Index as a State standard. The H+T Affordability Index shall be adopted by CDB, DCEO, IDOT, IFA, and IHDA (1) as a tool for the development of statewide plans and (2) as a criterion in the allocation of funding for transit, highways, economic development, and housing projects; the distribution of economic incentives to businesses; and the siting of public facilities in Metropolitan Planning Organization areas.

Section 20. Adoption of H+T Affordability Index; agencies.

(a) DCEO, IDOT, IFA, and IHDA shall create a State definition of affordability that incorporates both housing and transportation costs and shall incorporate that definition into all relevant statutes, plans, policies, and programs.

(b) DCEO, IDOT, IFA and IHDA shall use the H+T Affordability Index to incorporate housing and transportation affordability as a criterion for screening and prioritizing investments in transportation, housing, and economic development projects.

(c) CDB shall use the H+T Affordability Index to include housing and transportation affordability as a criterion for siting new public buildings.

(d) IDOT shall condition all transportation expansion funds upon planning and zoning for compact, mixed-use communities that include an affordable housing component, which complies with the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act.

(e) IDOT and IHDA shall jointly undertake to create an integrated statewide housing and transportation plan utilizing the H+T Affordability Index that is designed to guide investments in transportation and housing while yielding affordable housing and transportation costs for Illinois communities.