093_SB1408enr

 
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 1        AN ACT concerning transportation.

 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
 5    Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transportation Act.

 6        Section   5.  Findings;  purpose.  The  General  Assembly
 7    finds that safe, reliable, and convenient  transportation  to
 8    and from (i) work and related destinations such as child care
 9    and   education,   (ii)   medical  appointments  and  related
10    destinations such as a pharmacy, and (iii) ancillary services
11    necessary to the health, well-being, and independence of  the
12    family  such  as  grocery  shopping,  adult day services, and
13    pharmacy related services  are  extremely  important  in  the
14    ability   to  find  and  retain  employment  and  insure  the
15    continued independence and  well-being  of  all  citizens  of
16    Illinois,  particularly  in  the  lower income sectors of the
17    economy. For many people, these transportation needs are  not
18    met  by  existing  mass  transit. In a national survey by the
19    University of Illinois at Chicago of over 500  riders  of  23
20    federally  funded community transportation projects under the
21    Job Access and Reverse  Commute  (JARC)  program  across  the
22    nation,  68%  of riders indicated that they would not be able
23    to reach their employment without this service.  Furthermore,
24    the  national  evaluation  of the JARC program by the General
25    Accounting Office illustrates that 65% of all  projects  have
26    extended  existing  fixed  routes  by schedule or location as
27    well  as  created  connections  to  existing  services.  This
28    creates  a  need  for  innovative  transportation   to   work
29    strategies  that  fit within local circumstances in Illinois.
30    Many localities around Illinois do not have the resources  or
31    the    expertise    to   develop   and   support   innovative
 
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 1    transportation options. Localities need access  to  technical
 2    assistance  both  in  designing  programs  and  in  accessing
 3    various  sources  of  State  and federal funds. Illinois also
 4    leaves substantial  federal  transportation  funds  unclaimed
 5    because  of  the  failure  to put forward projects to use the
 6    funds. Thus,  Illinois  would  benefit  from  an  Interagency
 7    Coordinating Committee to set priorities for improving access
 8    to  transportation  for the transportation disadvantaged. The
 9    General Accounting Office has found in  its  evaluation  that
10    interagency  collaboration  has  informed transit agencies of
11    how to better serve low-income communities by  knowing  where
12    jobs are located and a system of supports are found. Illinois
13    would  also benefit from a unified State process to apply for
14    federal    transportation    assistance    for     innovative
15    transportation  to  work  projects  and  strategies  and  for
16    identifying  the  matching  funds  necessary  to  access that
17    federal assistance. The purpose of this Act is  to  establish
18    the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transportation.

19        Section 10.  Definitions.  As used in this Act:
20        (1)  "Agency"  means  an official, commission, authority,
21    council, department, committee, division, bureau,  board,  or
22    any  other  unit  or  entity  of the State, a municipality, a
23    county,  or  other  local  governing  body   or   a   private
24    not-for-profit transportation service providing agency.
25        (2)  "Committee"    means   the   Illinois   Coordinating
26    Committee on Transportation.
27        (3)  "Coordination"  means  the   arrangement   for   the
28    provision  of  transportation  services to the transportation
29    disadvantaged in a manner that is cost-effective,  efficient,
30    and reduces fragmentation and duplication of services.
31        (4)  "Transportation  disadvantaged"  means those persons
32    who, because of physical or mental disability, income status,
33    age, location of residence, or other reasons  are  unable  to
 
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 1    transport themselves or to purchase affordable transportation
 2    and are, therefore, dependent upon others to obtain access to
 3    health   care,   employment,   education,   shopping,  social
 4    activities, or other life-sustaining activities.

 5        Section   15.  Committee.  The   Illinois    Coordinating
 6    Committee  on  Transportation is created and shall consist of
 7    the following members:
 8        (1)  The Governor or his or her designee.
 9        (2)  The  Secretary  of  Transportation  or  his  or  her
10    designee.
11        (3)  The Secretary  of  Human  Services  or  his  or  her
12    designee.
13        (4)  The Director of Aging or his or her designee.
14        (5)  The Director of Public Aid or his or her designee.
15        (6)  The  Director  of  Commerce and Community Affairs or
16    his or her designee.
17        (7)  A  representative  of  the  Illinois  Rural  Transit
18    Assistance Center.
19        (8)  A person who is a member of a  recognized  statewide
20    organization representing older residents of Illinois.
21        (9)  A representative of centers for independent living.
22        (10)  A    representative    of   the   Illinois   Public
23    Transportation Association.
24        (11)  A  representative  of  an  existing  transportation
25    system that coordinates and provides transit  services  in  a
26    multi-county  area  for  the  Department  of  Transportation,
27    Department  of  Human  Services,  Department  of Commerce and
28    Community Affairs, or Department on Aging.
29        (12)  A representative of  a  statewide  organization  of
30    rehabilitation  facilities or other providers of services for
31    persons with one or more disabilities.
32        (13)  A representative of a community-based organization.
33        (14)  A  representative  of  the  Department  of   Public
 
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 1    Health.
 2        (15)  A representative of the Rural Partners.
 3        (16)  The  Director  of Employment Security or his or her
 4    designee.
 5        (17)  A   representative   of   a   statewide    business
 6    association.
 7        (18)  A   representative   of  the  Illinois  Council  on
 8    Developmental Disabilities.
 9        The Governor shall appoint the members of  the  Committee
10    other  than  those  named  in  paragraphs (1) through (6) and
11    paragraph (16) of this Section. The Governor or  his  or  her
12    designee  shall  serve  as  chairperson  of the Committee and
13    shall convene the meetings of the Committee. The Secretary of
14    Transportation and  a  representative  of  a  community-based
15    organization  involved  in transportation or their designees,
16    shall serve as co-vice-chairpersons and shall be  responsible
17    for staff support for the committee.

18        Section  20.  Duties  of  Committee.  The Committee shall
19    encourage   the   coordination   of   public   and    private
20    transportation  services,  with  priority  given  to services
21    directed toward  those  populations  who  are  currently  not
22    served or who are underserved by existing public transit.
23        The   Committee   shall  seek  innovative  approaches  to
24    providing and funding local transportation services and offer
25    their expertise to communities statewide.  Specifically,  the
26    Committee shall:
27        (1)  Coordinate a State process within federal guidelines
28    to  facilitate coordination of community-based transportation
29    programs. This process should include: developing  objectives
30    for   providing  essential  transportation  services  to  the
31    transportation disadvantaged; providing technical  assistance
32    to  communities  that are addressing transportation gaps that
33    affect  low-income  populations;  developing  a  process  for
 
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 1    requesting federal funds such as the Job Access  and  Reverse
 2    Commute  (JARC)  Grant  program  that  is based on input from
 3    communities statewide; assisting communities  in  identifying
 4    funds  from other available sources for projects that are not
 5    an eligible use of JARC  funds;  and  developing  a  plan  to
 6    identify   and   recruit  potential  stakeholders  in  future
 7    community transportation initiatives to the Committee.
 8        (2)  Develop goals and objectives to  reduce  duplication
 9    of  services  and  achieve  coverage  that  is as complete as
10    possible.
11        (3)  Serve  as  a  clearinghouse  for  information  about
12    funding sources and innovations in serving the transportation
13    disadvantaged.
14        (4)  Submit a report, not later than February 1, 2006, to
15    the Governor and  the  General  Assembly  that  outlines  the
16    progress  made  by the Committee in performing its duties set
17    forth in paragraphs (1) through (4) of this Section and makes
18    recommendations  for  statutory  and  regulatory  changes  to
19    promote coordination.

20        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
21    becoming law.