August
27, 2013
To
the Honorable Members of the Illinois Senate,
98th
General Assembly:
Senate
Bill 1474 exempts public transportation facility and services projects costing
$40,000 or less from public notice and bidding requirements. For the Regional
Transportation Authority, Pace, Metra, and the Chicago Transit Authority - this
is a 400% increase over the current no-bid contract limit in statute.
It
is clear that the current mass transit governance system in Northeastern
Illinois is not working for taxpayers and riders. I recently issued an
Executive Order creating the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force
(“Task Force”), an independent panel of leaders who will study the system in
the coming months and issue recommendations on ways to eliminate waste, fraud
and abuse and streamline operations. This is a good first step to ensuring
improved transit service for our commuters and I look forward to discussing
those findings with the General Assembly.
At
this time, Senate Bill 1474 would permit the Regional Transportation Agency, Pace,
Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Local Mass Transit Districts to
proceed in a manner that may be inconsistent with the ultimate recommendations
of the Task Force. We must move toward greater transparency and accountability
for mass transit riders and our fellow taxpayers. I believe that the Task Force
must be given ample time to study issues like this and determine whether such a
change in current law is prudent.
Therefore,
pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(b) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I
return Senate Bill 1474, entitled “AN ACT concerning local government.”, with
the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Sincerely,
PAT
QUINN
Governor