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Several hearings were held around the state with topics ranging
from how public transit positively impacts the economic and
public health systems to public safety on mass transit.
“The goal of these committee hearings is really to discuss and
hone in on the importance of public transit to every fabric of
our life,” said state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago.
State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, said providing reliable
mass transit should not be exclusive to the Chicago area.
“I think this state has to make mass transit, across the state,
a priority,” said DeWitte. “Getting people from point A to point
B, to work, school, to the hospital, a doctor’s appointment, is
critical.”
Mary Tyler, transportation director at the Illinois Economic
Policy Institute, said Illinois is lagging in funding public
transit systems.
“It is a fundamental right that should be provided to every
Illinois resident and this should be reflected in the state
budget,” said Tyler.
The dark cloud hanging over the hearings is the fact that public
transit systems in the Chicago area face a $730 million fiscal
cliff by 2026. During the first hearing, the leaders of the
Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace all pushed back on a
proposal to merge into one entity to save money. Then they all
asked for more funding from the state.
Illinois House Democrats have created a transportation working
group to address public transit issues, which was then
criticized by House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna,
for being one-sided because not a single Republican was
included.
“It’s deeply disappointing to see Speaker Welch continue to
dismiss the concerns of millions of Illinoisans by pushing a
self-serving agenda that disregards the voices of the Republican
caucus and the woman who leads them. The people of Illinois
deserve better than this one-sided approach,” McCombie said in a
statement.
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