101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB4373

 

Introduced 1/29/2020, by Rep. Michael Halpin

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Quad Cities Regional Metropolitan Authority Compact Act. Provides for the creation of the Quad Cities Regional Metropolitan Authority by the states of Illinois and Iowa. Provides that the territory of the Authority is Scott County, Iowa and Rock Island County, Illinois. Provides that the purposes of the Authority are to provide facilities and to foster cooperative efforts for the development and public benefit of its territory. Sets forth the membership of the board of the Authority and the powers and duties of the Authority. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Quad
5Cities Regional Metropolitan Authority Compact Act.
 
6    Section 5. State may enter into compact. The State of
7Illinois may enter into the Quad Cities Regional Metropolitan
8Authority Compact with the State of Iowa if the State of Iowa
9joins the compact.
 
10    Section 10. Compact. The compact shall be in substantially
11the following form:
12
"COMPACT BETWEEN IOWA AND ILLINOIS TO CREATE THE QUAD CITIES
13
REGIONAL METROPOLITAN AUTHORITY.
14
ARTICLE 1. SHORT TITLE.
15    This compact may be cited as the "Quad Cities Regional
16Metropolitan Authority Compact".
17
ARTICLE 2. AUTHORIZATION.
18    The states of Illinois and Iowa authorize the creation of
19the Quad Cities Regional Metropolitan Authority to include the
20territories of Scott County in the State of Iowa and Rock
21Island County in the State of Illinois.
22
ARTICLE 3. PURPOSES.

 

 

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1    The purposes of the Authority are to provide facilities and
2to foster cooperative efforts, all for the development and
3public benefit of its territory. This compact shall be
4liberally interpreted to carry out these purposes.
5
ARTICLE 4. CREATION.
6    The Authority is created when (i) the Secretary of State of
7Iowa certifies to the Secretary of State of Illinois and the
8Secretary of State of Illinois certifies to the Secretary of
9State of Iowa that substantially similar legislation is signed
10into law in both Iowa and Illinois and (ii) Congress has given
11its consent.
12
ARTICLE 5. BOARD MEMBERS.
13    The Authority shall be governed by a Board of not more than
148 members, one-half of whom are residents of Rock Island
15County, Illinois and one-half of whom are residents of Scott
16County, Iowa. The Iowa members shall be chosen in the manner
17and for the terms fixed by the law of Iowa. The Illinois
18members shall be chosen in the manner and for the terms fixed
19by the law of Illinois.
20
ARTICLE 6. BOARD OFFICERS.
21    The Board shall elect annually from its members a
22chairperson, a vice chairperson, a secretary, and other
23officers it determines necessary.
24
ARTICLE 7. BOARD OPERATIONS.
25    The Board shall adopt bylaws governing its meetings, fiscal
26year, election of officers, and other matters of procedure and

 

 

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1operation.
2
ARTICLE 8. BOARD EXPENSES AND COMPENSATION.
3    (a) Members shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses
4incurred while carrying out official duties.
5    (b) Members shall be compensated as authorized by
6substantially identical laws of the states of Illinois and
7Iowa.
8
ARTICLE 9. EMPLOYEES.
9    (a) The Board may hire an executive director, a treasurer,
10and other employees it determines necessary and shall fix their
11qualifications, duties, compensation, and terms of employment.
12    (b) The executive director, treasurer, and other employees
13shall have no pension benefits or rights of collective
14bargaining other than those authorized by substantially
15identical laws of the states of Iowa and Illinois.
16
ARTICLE 10. GENERAL POWERS.
17    The Authority has the following general powers:
18        (1) To sue and be sued.
19        (2) To own, operate, manage, or lease facilities within
20    the territory of the Authority. "Facility" means an
21    airport, port, wharf, dock, harbor, bridge, school,
22    tunnel, terminal, industrial park, waste disposal system,
23    mass transit system, parking area, road, recreational
24    area, conservation area, or other project beneficial to the
25    territory of the Authority as authorized by substantially
26    identical laws of the states of Iowa and Illinois, together

 

 

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1    with related or incidental fixtures, equipment,
2    improvements, and real or personal property.
3        (3) To fix and collect reasonable fees and charges for
4    the use of its facilities.
5        (4) To own or lease interests in real or personal
6    property.
7        (5) To accept and receive money, services, property,
8    and other things of value.
9        (6) To disburse funds for its lawful activities.
10        (7) To enter into agreements with political
11    subdivisions of the state of Illinois or Iowa or with the
12    United States.
13        (8) To pledge or mortgage its property.
14        (9) To perform other functions necessary or incidental
15    to its purposes and powers.
16        (10) To exercise other powers conferred by
17    substantially identical laws of the states of Iowa and
18    Illinois.
19        (11) To impose any tax throughout the region, subject
20    to referendum approval by the voters of each county in the
21    region, that may be lawfully imposed in both Iowa and
22    Illinois, and to provide that such referendum language be
23    placed on the ballot in each state; a tax under this
24    paragraph (11) shall be imposed for no longer than 10 years
25    unless it is reauthorized by a subsequent referendum in
26    each state. The referendum in each state must include

 

 

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1    identical language specifying the purposes for which tax
2    proceeds shall be used, and those proceeds may be used only
3    for those purposes and for administrative purposes as
4    provided in subsection (c) of Article 11.
5
ARTICLE 11. TAXES.
6    (a) Except as provided in paragraph (11) of Article 10, the
7Authority shall have no independent power to tax.
8    (b) A political subdivision of the state of Iowa or
9Illinois shall not impose taxes to fund the Authority or any of
10the Authority's projects except as specifically authorized by
11substantially identical laws of the states of Illinois and
12Iowa.
13    (c) In addition to the uses specified in the referendum
14authorizing the imposition of a tax, the Authority may use up
15to 1% of the total revenue derived from a tax imposed under
16paragraph (11) of Article 10 for administrative purposes to
17successfully carry out its duties.
18
ARTICLE 12. REPORTS.
19    The Authority shall report annually to the Governors and
20legislatures of the states of Iowa and Illinois concerning its
21facilities, activities, and finances and may make
22recommendations for state legislation.
23
ARTICLE 13. PENALTIES.
24    The states of Illinois and Iowa may provide by
25substantially identical laws for the enforcement of the
26ordinances of the Authority and for penalties for the violation

 

 

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1of those ordinances.
2
ARTICLE 14. SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL LAWS.
3    Substantially identical laws of the states of Iowa and
4Illinois which are in effect before the Authority is created
5shall apply unless the laws are contrary to or inconsistent
6with the provisions of this compact. A question of whether the
7laws of the states of Iowa and Illinois are substantially
8identical may be determined and enforced by a federal district
9court.
10
ARTICLE 15. DISSOLUTION.
11    The Authority may be dissolved by independent action of a
12political subdivision of the state of Iowa or the state of Iowa
13as authorized by law of the state of Iowa or by independent
14action of a political subdivision of the state of Illinois or
15the state of Illinois as authorized by law of the state of
16Illinois.
17
ARTICLE 16. SUBJECT TO LAWS AND CONSTITUTIONS.
18    This compact, the enabling laws of the states of Iowa and
19Illinois, and the Authority are subject to the laws and
20Constitution of the United States and the Constitutions of the
21states of Illinois and Iowa.
22
ARTICLE 17. CONSENT OF CONGRESS.
23    The Attorneys General of the states of Iowa and Illinois
24shall jointly seek the consent of the Congress of the United
25States to enter into or implement this compact.
26
ARTICLE 18. BINDING EFFECT.

 

 

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1    This compact and substantially identical enabling laws are
2binding on the states of Illinois and Iowa to the full extent
3allowed without the consent of Congress. If the consent of
4Congress is necessary, this compact and substantially
5identical enabling laws are binding on the states of Iowa and
6Illinois to the full extent when consent is obtained.
7
ARTICLE 19. SIGNING.
8    This compact shall be signed in duplicate by the authorized
9representatives of the states of Illinois and Iowa. One signed
10copy shall be filed with the Secretary of State of Iowa and the
11other with the Secretary of State of Illinois."
 
12    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13becoming law.