Full Text of HJR0024 97th General Assembly
HJ0024 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Public transit is essential for the overall
| 3 | | economic health and prosperity of the Chicagoland area; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Mass transit is an integral, essential part of the | 5 | | strengths that make the Northeastern Illinois region | 6 | | world-class; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Many people rely on the services provided by the | 8 | | Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, | 9 | | Suburban Bus Division, and Commuter Rail Division (Authority | 10 | | and Service Boards) to get them safely and efficiently to their | 11 | | desired destinations; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Mass transit should continue to play a
central | 13 | | role 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
| 5 | | sustaining a strong job market; for every dollar invested in | 6 | | public transit, local
economies receive $8 in economic | 7 | | activity;
and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The Authority is the third largest public
| 9 | | transportation system in North America and provides more than 2 | 10 | | million rides a
day; the services provided by the Authority | 11 | | cover 7,200 route miles in a 6-county region with a population | 12 | | of approximately 8,000,000 people; the combined
assets of the | 13 | | Authority are valued at more than $36 billion and include 5,640 | 14 | | bus and
rail cars and 650 vanpool vehicles; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The Authority and Service Boards must work | 16 | | cohesively to modernize and
maintain the transit system
in | 17 | | order to produce a more efficient, convenient, and | 18 | | consumer-friendly transit
system; therefore, be it
| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 20 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 21 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the House of Representatives' | 22 | | Mass Transit Committee and the Senate's Transportation |
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| 1 | | Committee hold at least one joint hearing no earlier than July | 2 | | 1, 2011 and no later than December 1, 2011 to take testimony | 3 | | from the Authority and the Service Boards concerning the | 4 | | following 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 | 20 | | committees, the Authority, in conjunction with the Service | 21 | | Boards, must submit a report to the committees setting forth | 22 | | its goals and accomplishments concerning the creation of a more | 23 | | modern and efficient mass transit system; the report must be | 24 | | submitted by no later than July 1, 2011; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That the Authority provide administrative and | 2 | | other support to the committees; and be it further | 3 | | RESOLVED, That on or before December 31, 2011, the | 4 | | committees must jointly report to the General Assembly their | 5 | | findings concerning the creation of a more modern and efficient | 6 | | mass transit system; and be it further | 7 | | RESOLVED, That the requirement for reporting to the General | 8 | | Assembly shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with | 9 | | the Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the House of | 10 | | Representatives, the President, the Minority Leader, and the | 11 | | Secretary of the Senate, and the Legislative Research Unit, as | 12 | | required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization | 13 | | Act, and filing additional copies with the State Government | 14 | | Report Distribution Center for the General Assembly as required | 15 | | under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State Library Act.
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