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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, High-speed rail is an efficient and
3 environmentally friendly means of transportation; and
 
4     WHEREAS, The State must be prepared to design, build,
5 finance, and maintain a high-speed rail system for the benefit
6 of the State's citizens; therefore, be it
 
7     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
8 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Illinois and
9 Midwest High-Speed Rail Commission is created for the purpose
10 of recommending the best governmental structure for a
11 public-private partnership to design, build, operate,
12 maintain, and finance a high-speed rail system for Illinois and
13 the Midwest; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That the Commission shall be composed of 19
15 members as follows:
16         (1) 12 public members appointed by the Governor;
17         (2) 2 members of the Illinois House of Representatives,
18     one appointed by the Speaker of the House and one appointed
19     by the House Minority Leader;
20         (3) 2 members of the Illinois Senate, one appointed by
21     the Senate President and one appointed by the Senate
22     Minority Leader; and

 

 

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1         (4) 3 ex-officio members as follows:
2             (A) the Illinois Secretary of Transportation;
3             (B) the Director of Commerce and Economic
4         Opportunity; and
5             (C) the Executive Director of the Illinois State
6         Toll Highway Authority; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That a person appointed as a public member of the
8 Commission must be a resident of this State; public members of
9 the Commission must include the following: (i) local elected
10 officials who have expressed interest in high-speed rail, (ii)
11 former elected officials with transportation policy expertise,
12 (iii) individuals with professional expertise in long-term
13 financing of infrastructure, and (iv) individuals with
14 expertise in transportation or railroad infrastructure
15 projects; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That the appointed members shall reflect the
17 geographic diversity of the State and shall include
18 representation from all regions of the State; and be it further
 
19     RESOLVED, That the Governor shall designate one public
20 member of the Commission to serve as the chair of the
21 Commission and one public member to serve as the vice-chair of
22 the Commission; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That a member of the Commission is not entitled
2 to compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the travel
3 expenses incurred by the member while transacting Commission
4 business; and be it further
 
5     RESOLVED, That the Commission shall meet at least monthly
6 at the times and places in this State that the chair
7 designates; members may participate in Commission meetings by
8 teleconference or video conference; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That a majority of the members of the Commission
10 constitute a quorum for transacting Commission business; and be
11 it further
 
12     RESOLVED, That the Commission shall prepare and issue a
13 report to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the public by
14 December 31, 2010, recommending the best governmental
15 structure for a public-private partnership to design, build,
16 operate, maintain, and finance a high-speed rail system for
17 Illinois and the Midwest; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That the report must include the following: (i)
19 recommendations for legislation, if statutory change is
20 required, or specific administrative regulations, if
21 regulatory change is required, to implement the recommended
22 high-speed rail system; (ii) sources for the funding of a

 

 

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1 high-speed rail system including private sources of capital and
2 revenue bonds; (iii) recommendations for integrating the
3 high-speed rail system into existing and planned Amtrak
4 expansions, airports, and public transportation systems; and
5 (iv) recommendations for federal, State, and local actions for
6 the development and implementation of a high-speed rail system;
7 and be it further
 
8     RESOLVED, That the Commission shall develop a process to
9 receive public and stakeholder input on opinions and proposals
10 for building, designing, maintaining, operating, and financing
11 a high-speed rail system for Illinois and the Midwest; the
12 process must include the solicitation and receipt of formal
13 expressions of interest and other testimony from global
14 high-speed rail operators including without limitation Amtrak;
15 and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That the Commission shall solicit and receive
17 formal testimony, both written and oral, from representatives
18 of the other states in the Midwest including without limitation
19 representatives from units of local government; and be it
20 further
 
21     RESOLVED, That the Commission shall work collaboratively
22 with the Illinois Department of Transportation on any planning
23 projects for high-speed rail administered by the Department to

 

 

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1 comply with federal high-speed rail requirements including
2 without limitation the solicitation of public input and
3 comments; and be it further
 
4     RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
5 shall provide administrative and other support to the
6 Commission; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That the members of the Commission shall be
8 reimbursed for their travel expenses from appropriations to the
9 Illinois Department of Transportation available for that
10 purpose and subject to the rules of the appropriate travel
11 control board.