Mass Transit Committee

Filed: 11/29/2010

 

 


 

 


 
09600SB2571ham001LRB096 17504 RLJ 43916 a

1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2571

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2571 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Illinois and Midwest High-Speed Rail Commission Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7    "Commission" means the Illinois and Midwest High-Speed
8Rail Commission.
9    "High-speed rail" means a system of new electrified tracks
10designed primarily for trains capable of traveling at speeds in
11excess of 150 miles per hour.
 
12    Section 10. Composition of the Commission.
13    (a) The Commission shall be composed of 19 members as
14follows:
15        (1) 12 public members appointed by the Governor; and

 

 

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1        (2) 7 ex-officio members as follows:
2            (A) the Illinois Secretary of Transportation;
3            (B) the Director of Commerce and Economic
4        Opportunity;
5            (C) the Executive Director of the Illinois State
6        Toll Highway Authority;
7            (D) a member of the House of Representatives
8        appointed by the Speaker of the House of
9        Representatives;
10            (E) a member of the House of Representatives
11        appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
12        Representatives;
13            (F) a member of the Senate appointed by the
14        President of the Senate; and
15            (G) a member of the Senate appointed by the
16        Minority Leader of the Senate.
17    (b) A person appointed as a public member of the Commission
18must be a resident of this State. Public members of the
19Commission must include the following: (i) local elected
20officials who have expressed interest in high-speed rail; (ii)
21former elected officials with transportation policy expertise;
22(iii) individuals with professional expertise in long-term
23financing of infrastructure; and (iv) individuals with
24expertise in transportation or railroad infrastructure
25projects. The appointed members shall reflect the geographic
26diversity of the State and shall include representation from

 

 

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1all regions of the State.
2    (c) Commission members shall be appointed within 45 days
3after the effective date of this Act.
4    (d) The Governor shall designate one public member of the
5Commission to serve as the chair of the Commission and one
6public member to serve as the vice-chair of the Commission.
 
7    Section 15. Ex-officio members; eligibility; designation
8of representative.
9    (a) An ex-officio member of the Commission vacates the
10person's position on the Commission if the person ceases to
11hold the position that qualifies the person for service on the
12Commission.
13    (b) An ex-officio member may designate a representative to
14serve on the Commission in the member's absence. A
15representative designated under this subsection by the
16Illinois Secretary of Transportation, the Director of Commerce
17and Economic Opportunity, or the Executive Director of the
18Illinois State Toll Highway Authority must be an officer or
19employee of the State agency that employs the ex-officio
20member.
 
21    Section 20. Compensation; expenses.
22    (a) A public member of the Commission is not entitled to
23compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the travel
24expenses incurred by the member while transacting Commission

 

 

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1business.
2    (b) An ex-officio member's service on the Commission is an
3additional duty of the underlying position that qualifies the
4member for service on the Commission. The entitlement of an
5ex-officio member to compensation or to reimbursement for
6travel expenses incurred while transacting Commission business
7is governed by the law that applies to the member's service in
8that underlying position, and any payment to the member for
9either purpose must be made from an appropriation that may be
10used for the purpose and is available to the State agency that
11the member serves in that underlying position.
 
12    Section 25. Meetings; quorum.
13    (a) The Commission shall meet at least monthly at the times
14and places in this State that the chair designates until April
152011 and at least quarterly thereafter.
16    (b) Members of the Commission may participate in Commission
17meetings by teleconference or video conference.
18    (c) A majority of the members of the Commission constitute
19a quorum for transacting Commission business.
 
20    Section 30. General powers and duties of the Commission.
21    (a) The Commission shall:
22        (1) Prepare and issue a report to the Governor, the
23    General Assembly, and the public recommending the best
24    governmental structure for a public-private partnership to

 

 

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1    design, build, operate, maintain, and finance a high-speed
2    rail system for Illinois and the Midwest. The report must
3    include specific recommendations for legislation, if
4    statutory change is required, or specific administrative
5    regulations, if regulatory change is required, to
6    implement the recommended high-speed rail system. The
7    report must include recommended sources for the funding of
8    a high-speed rail system including private sources of
9    capital and revenue bonds. The report must contain
10    recommendations for integrating the high-speed rail system
11    into existing and planned Amtrak expansions, airports, and
12    public transportation systems. The report must include
13    recommendations for federal, State, and local actions for
14    the development and implementation of a high-speed rail
15    system. The report must be issued by September 20, 2011.
16        (2) Prepare a follow-up report that details the status
17    of recommendations issued by the Commission and any revised
18    and updated recommendations based on further public and
19    stakeholder input. The follow-up report must be issued by
20    August 1, 2012.
21        (3) Develop a process to receive public and stakeholder
22    input on opinions and proposals for building, designing,
23    maintaining, operating, and financing a high-speed rail
24    system for Illinois and the Midwest. The process must
25    include the solicitation and receipt of formal expressions
26    of interest and other testimony from global high-speed rail

 

 

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1    operators including without limitation Amtrak.
2        (4) Solicit and receive formal testimony, both written
3    and oral, from representatives of the other states in the
4    Midwest including without limitation representatives from
5    units of local government.
6        (5) Work collaboratively with the Department of
7    Transportation on any planning projects for high-speed
8    rail administered by the Department to comply with federal
9    high-speed rail requirements including without limitation
10    the solicitation of public input and comments.
11    (b) In implementing subsection (a), the Commission must
12consult with and receive testimony from global high-speed rail
13operators including without limitation Amtrak.
14    (c) Nothing in this Act shall preclude the Department of
15Transportation from planning for high-speed rail.
 
16    Section 35. Funding. The Illinois Department of
17Transportation may provide staff and other support to the
18Commission from money available to the Department that may be
19used for this purpose. The General Assembly may also
20specifically appropriate money to the Department to provide
21staff and other support to the Commission.
22    The Commission may accept monetary gifts and grants from
23any public or private source. The Commission may also accept
24in-kind gifts.
 

 

 

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1    Section 95. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
22014.
 
3    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4becoming law.".