HR1088 EnrolledLRB097 21522 GRL 69635 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION 1088

 
2    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a strategic interest in
3the operations of the Illinois International Port District and
4its Board, whose function is to develop the District's port and
5harbor facilities, issue construction permits, regulate the
6District's facilities and waterways, establish and operate
7foreign trade zones, and govern and administer all the District
8area within Chicago's corporate limits; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The City of Chicago aims to revitalize the Port of
10Chicago; in 2010, cargo shipments at the Port of Chicago
11directly or indirectly supported 6,930 jobs and generated
12$425,000,000 in revenue for Illinois firms, according to the
13Washington D.C.-based American Great Lakes Ports Association;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Port of Chicago links rail and trucking lines
16with barges and ships supplying the Great Lakes and nearby
17rivers; the port handles an estimated 26,000,000 cargo tons
18annually throughout its 1,500 acre complex on the far south
19side, according to a recent estimate by a consortium of Great
20Lakes shipping interests; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Chicago is the 7th largest U.S. Customs district
22for imports and exports in the country; the U.S. Army Corps of

 

 

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1Engineers ranks Illinois as the 5th highest state for all
2waterborne commerce in 2009 by tonnage; the Great Lakes is
3considered "America's Fourth Coast"; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Although the Illinois International Port District
5Board has operated the port since the 1950s, there have been no
6major dockside improvements in 30 years; in 2011, half of the
7District's revenue originated with the 2 golf courses on the
8District's land, while the other half originated from fees paid
9by freight companies, according to Crain's Chicago Business;
10and
 
11    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, and
12the entire Midwest economy need a major change in the
13operations of the Illinois International Port District; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The Chairman of the Illinois International Port
15District Board has requested that the Auditor General conduct
16an audit as described below; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19the Auditor General is directed to conduct a management audit
20of the Illinois International Port District to examine the
21operations and management of the district and to report the
22findings to the Illinois General Assembly; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the Illinois International Port District
2and the Illinois International Port District Board fully
3cooperate with the audit and turn over any materials requested
4by the Auditor General; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That the Auditor General shall submit a bill to
6the Illinois International Port District for costs associated
7with the review with the management audit; the Illinois
8International Port District shall reimburse the Auditor
9General for such costs in a timely manner; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That the Auditor General is further directed to
11commence this audit as soon as possible and, upon completion,
12distribute a report in accordance with Section 3-14 of the
13Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15delivered to the Auditor General and to all 4 legislative
16leaders of the Illinois General Assembly.