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1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the H+T
5 Affordability Index Act.
 
6     Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and
7 declares all of the following:
8     (1) Affordability is an important factor for establishing
9 and implementing infrastructure investment policies because it
10 helps ensure that all individuals in the State have an
11 opportunity for a high quality of life at a reasonable cost.
12     (2) Traditional definitions of affordability include
13 housing costs but not transportation costs, which are the
14 second largest and fastest growing expenditure in a household
15 budget.
16     (3) It is beneficial to use definitions, indexes, and
17 policies that link housing and transportation costs to assist
18 in establishing investment plans for housing, transportation,
19 infrastructure, and economic development that more effectively
20 address the significant costs of living in Metropolitan
21 Planning Organization areas.
22     (4) The H+T Affordability Index is a tool that was designed
23 to calculate the transportation costs associated with a home's

 

 

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1 location and to combine that cost with the cost of housing to
2 calculate affordability as a percentage of overall household
3 income.
4     (5) An analysis of housing and transportation costs in 54
5 metro areas nationally demonstrates that reducing the combined
6 cost of housing and transportation to 48% or less of income
7 represents a desirable and achievable goal; the H+T
8 Affordability Index has adopted 48% as the ratio of income to
9 housing and transportation costs.
10     (6) The analysis also reveals that affordability is
11 enhanced by locating residential units that have been
12 thoughtfully planned to lessen sprawl in mixed-use,
13 transit-rich communities near shopping, schools, and work, and
14 that residents of communities with low transportation costs
15 benefit from using transit for the mobility required to
16 undertake activities associated with daily life; residents of
17 these types of communities own fewer cars and drive them
18 shorter distances, thereby reducing environmental impacts and
19 lowering their cost of living.
20     (7) A housing and transportation affordability standard,
21 such as that recommended by the H+T Affordability Index, is an
22 important consideration in the development of State plans and
23 investments in housing, transportation, economic development,
24 and other public facilities and infrastructure.
 
25     Section 10. Definitions. For purposes of this Act:

 

 

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1     "Annual Comprehensive Housing Plan" means the plan created
2 by the Comprehensive Housing Planning Act (Public Act 94-965,
3 effective June 30, 2006).
4     "Context Sensitive Solution Process" means the process by
5 which IDOT develops the scope of transportation projects, in
6 accordance with Public Act 93-545, effective January 1, 2004.
7     "CDB" means the Illinois Capital Development Board, which
8 is responsible for overseeing the design, construction,
9 repair, and renovation for State-funded, public buildings,
10 including, but not limited to, schools, colleges, museums, and
11 State recreation areas.
12     "DCEO" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
13 Opportunity, which is responsible for improving Illinois'
14 competitiveness in the global economy by administering
15 economic and workforce development programs.
16     "HUD/DOT Sustainability Initiative" means an initiative
17 undertaken by the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban
18 Development ("HUD") and Transportation ("DOT") in partnership
19 to help American families gain better access to affordable
20 housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation
21 costs.
22     "H+T Affordability Index" means the Housing and
23 Transportation Affordability Index, a tool that maps the
24 combined costs of housing and transportation for neighborhoods
25 within a metropolitan area.
26     "IDOT" means the Illinois Department of Transportation,

 

 

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1 which is responsible for statewide planning of transportation
2 and transit development.
3     "IFA" means the Illinois Finance Authority, which is
4 responsible for issuing taxable and tax-exempt bonds, making
5 loans, and investing capital in initiatives that stimulate the
6 economy and create jobs.
7     "IHDA" means the Illinois Housing Development Authority,
8 which is responsible for financing affordable housing
9 development.
10     "Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transportation" or
11 "ICCT" means the committee created by Public Act 93-185,
12 effective July 11, 2003, to encourage the coordination of
13 public and private transportation services, with priority
14 given toward services directed toward those populations who are
15 not currently served or are underserved by existing public
16 transportation.
17     "Metropolitan Planning Organization" refers to a regional
18 policy body, required by the federal government in urbanized
19 areas with populations over 50,000 and designated by local
20 officials and the Governor of the State to carry out the
21 metropolitan transportation planning requirements of federal
22 highway and transit legislation.
23     "Task Force" means the Task Force codified by the
24 Comprehensive Housing Planning Act (Public Act 94-965,
25 effective June 30, 2006), which is responsible for statewide
26 planning of affordable housing and creating Illinois' Annual

 

 

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1 Comprehensive Housing Plan in cooperation with multiple
2 agencies, including IDOT, IHDA, and DCEO.
 
3     Section 15. Funding for non-Metropolitan Planning
4 Organization areas. Nothing in this Act shall reduce or divert
5 funds away from areas not located in a Metropolitan Planning
6 Organization area.
 
7     Section 20. Adoption of the H+T Affordability Index;
8 Metropolitan Planning Organization areas. The H+T
9 Affordability Index or substantially equivalent affordability
10 measure, where available, shall be adopted by DCEO, IDOT and
11 IHDA as (1) a tool for the development of plans in Metropolitan
12 Planning Organization areas and (2) a consideration for the
13 allocation of funding for public transportation, economic
14 development, and housing projects in Metropolitan Planning
15 Organization areas; the distribution of economic incentives to
16 businesses in Metropolitan Planning Organization areas; and
17 the siting of public facilities in Metropolitan Planning
18 Organization areas, where appropriate.
 
19     Section 25. Adoption of H+T Affordability Index; agencies.
20     (a) The Task Force, in cooperation with the Interagency
21 Coordinating Committee on Transportation, shall consider the
22 H+T Affordability Index, results of the HUD/DOT Sustainability
23 Initiative, and the Context Sensitive Solution Process, along

 

 

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1 with other applicable affordability measures, to create an
2 affordability definition and policy that incorporates housing
3 and transportation costs for Metropolitan Planning
4 Organization areas, where appropriate, and shall include both
5 in the Annual Comprehensive Housing Plan for Metropolitan
6 Planning Organization Areas.
7     (b) DCEO, IDOT, and IHDA may use the H+T Affordability
8 Index and other applicable affordability measures to ensure
9 consideration of the combined costs of housing and
10 transportation in screening and prioritizing investments in
11 public transportation, housing, and economic development
12 projects in Metropolitan Planning Organization areas, where
13 appropriate.
14     (c) CDB shall recommend the H+T Affordability Index to
15 ensure consideration of the combined costs of housing and
16 transportation when new public facilities are sited in
17 Metropolitan Planning Organization areas.
18     (d) IDOT shall use its Context Sensitive Solution Process
19 for all transportation expansion projects within Metropolitan
20 Planning Organization areas and, where possible, shall work
21 with communities to enhance or provide opportunities for
22 transportation alternatives to personal automobiles where
23 mixed-use communities thoughtfully planned to lessen sprawl
24 exist or are appropriate.
25     (e) IFA shall recommend the H+T Affordability Index to
26 ensure consideration of the combined costs of housing and

 

 

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1 transportation in siting new buildings in Metropolitan
2 Planning Organization areas.