Full Text of HJR0052 93rd General Assembly
HJ0052 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, | 3 |
| McHenry, Lake and Will host one of the largest and most | 4 |
| technical train switching systems in the United States of | 5 |
| America; and
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| WHEREAS, These counties have greatly benefited from the | 7 |
| partnership of the federal and State government in providing | 8 |
| train access across our State and nation; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, As the number of trains that ran through this | 10 |
| 6-county region increased, the number of train whistles that | 11 |
| sounded from both commuter and commercial locomotives | 12 |
| increased as well; and
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| WHEREAS, Both the federal and State governments have issued | 14 |
| rules and regulations governing the utilization of a train's | 15 |
| whistle as it proceeds through gated railroad crossings and | 16 |
| travels to its destination; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, The quality of life of those who live within the | 18 |
| Counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Lake and Will is | 19 |
| affected daily by the proliferation of train whistles that blow | 20 |
| throughout their communities; and | 21 |
| WHEREAS, On December 18, 2003, the Federal Railroad | 22 |
| Administration of the United States Department of | 23 |
| Transportation proposed final rules printed in the Federal | 24 |
| Register, 49 CFR Parts 222 and 229, to require a commuter or | 25 |
| commercial locomotive to sound its horn when it approaches and | 26 |
| enters a public highway-rail crossing; and | 27 |
| WHEREAS, This complex proposed rule may cause communities | 28 |
| through which locomotives travel to experience an increase in | 29 |
| the number of train whistles that are sounded daily; and |
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| WHEREAS, This proposal by the Federal Railroad | 2 |
| Administration of the United States Department of | 3 |
| Transportation may be detrimental to the quality of life of | 4 |
| those who live near a train-crossing without additional input | 5 |
| from local mayors and village managers; and | 6 |
| WHEREAS, The comment period for input into these proposed | 7 |
| final rules expires on February 17, 2004; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert and The Honorable | 9 |
| William O. Lipinski have requested an extension of the comment | 10 |
| period in order for the Federal Railroad Administration to hold | 11 |
| a public hearing in the City of Chicago on the proposed final | 12 |
| rules governing train whistles; therefore, be it | 13 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 14 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 15 |
| SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we do formally request that the | 16 |
| time period designated for public comment be extended by 60 | 17 |
| days to provide additional time for local units of government | 18 |
| to submit input to the Federal Railroad Administration on the | 19 |
| proposed final rules governing train whistles; and be it | 20 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That we formally request the Federal Railroad | 22 |
| Administration to schedule a public hearing in the City of | 23 |
| Chicago to receive testimony from local public officials, units | 24 |
| of local government and those who live or work within the | 25 |
| Counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Lake and Will on the | 26 |
| proposed train whistle rules within this 60-day extension of | 27 |
| time for public comment; and
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 29 |
| immediately delivered to Norman Mineta, Secretary of the United | 30 |
| States Department of Transportation; The Honorable J. Dennis |
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| Hastert, the United States Speaker of the House; The Honorable | 2 |
| William O. Lipinski, United States Congressman from the Third | 3 |
| Congressional District of the State of Illinois and Ranking | 4 |
| Member of the United States House of Representatives Committee | 5 |
| on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways, | 6 |
| Transit and Pipelines; and Allan Rutter, Administrator for the | 7 |
| Federal Railroad Administration.
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