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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Our economic challenges and budget struggles must
3lead to new thinking and alternative ways of gaining revenue in
4order to support the programs that the citizens of Illinois
5need and have come to expect; and
 
6    WHEREAS, One way to fund government services without
7raising taxes or fees is to provide the authority to lease
8naming rights for government-owned facilities in return for
9much-needed money; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) of the
11U.S. Department of Transportation identified 4 non-road
12pricing revenue sources that do not involve a charge, fee, or
13tax; the FHA specified that one of those sources was naming
14rights, that is revenue derived from selling to the private
15sector the right to name a transportation resource such as a
16toll road or transit station; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The American Association of State Highway and
18Transportation Officials (AASHTO) established its Center for
19Excellence in Project Finance to address innovative financing
20for highway and transportation projects; the Center noted that
21recently government officials and business representatives
22concerned about funding shortfalls for transportation have

 

 

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1begun to focus on the potential application of naming rights to
2highway corridors, toll plazas, and concession areas; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Center noted that naming rights, as a type of
4contractually obligated income, are attractive to
5transportation service and infrastructure providers for their
6stability and predictability and that these attributes also
7make naming rights a revenue source that is well-suited for
8debt service; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Examples of successful projects in the field of
10public transportation include a lease for the naming rights to
11a well-known highly-utilized subway station in Brooklyn, New
12York, a sponsorship package for the Seattle Street Car, and a
13lease for the naming rights for new vessels in the fleet of the
14Oklahoma River Ferries; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Each Illinois Toll Highway Oasis is a high
16visibility structure which would have significant potential as
17an entity for which commercial entities might be willing to
18lease naming rights; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Transportation is
20suited to assess the potential for leasing the naming rights of
21those oases, the procedures appropriate for this activity, and
22any appropriate legislation necessary to further this

 

 

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1undertaking; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
4SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Illinois Department of
5Transportation study the issue of leasing the naming rights for
6oases of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and make a
7report of its findings to the 97th General Assembly no later
8than one year after the adoption of this resolution; and be it
9further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the
11Illinois Secretary of Transportation.