HR1496 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1496 LRB094 21854 DRH 60285 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is the primary governmental entity responsible for the public safety and welfare of its citizenry; and

WHEREAS, The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. prompted the nation to take additional actions to protect our key public facilities, infrastructure, and private assets; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress created the Homeland Security Department in order to better coordinate the nation's response to terrorism and natural disasters, and this federal department allocates funds annually under the United States Homeland Security Act of 2002; and

WHEREAS, The Governor of the State of Illinois has allocated in fiscal year 2006 funds for various transit agencies and local governments to enhance homeland security; and

WHEREAS, Terrorists around the globe have targeted major urban public transit systems as strategic targets for their attacks; and

WHEREAS, The CTA operates the nation's second largest public transportation system, serving the city of Chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs, with nearly 1.5 million rides taken by the public on the CTA on an average weekday; and

WHEREAS, The CTA has approximately 2,000 buses that operate over 153 routes and 2,273 route miles, providing about 1 million passenger trips a day and serving more than 12,000 posted bus stops; while CTA's 1,190 rapid transit cars operate over eight routes and 222 miles of track, providing approximately 500,000 customer trips each day at 144 stations; and

WHEREAS, Chicago is one of the few cities in the world that provide rapid transit service to two major airports; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, the County of Cook, and the City of Chicago recognize the CTA as one of the city's and the region's major public assets and a high priority for enhanced protection as part of the city's homeland security, disaster, and terrorist response planning; and

WHEREAS, Two recent derailments of CTA rapid transit trains, along with the 2006 Metra Electric derailment, underscored the potential vulnerability of transit riders and our public transportation system to disasters; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support the call for disaster relief and the restoration of conductors along key portions of the CTA's Rapid Transit Systems for the purpose of securing public transportation as a vital public asset; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a separate comprehensive system shall be established to provide security for mass transit systems statewide; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, the President of the Cook County Board, and the Mayor of Chicago.