HB5732eng 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5732 Engrossed LRB096 19055 HLH 34446 b

AN ACT concerning finance.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Downstate Public Transportation Act is amended by changing Section 2-5.1 as follows:

(30 ILCS 740/2-5.1)

Sec. 2-5.1. Additional requirements.

(a) Any unit of local government that becomes a participant on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly shall, in addition to any other requirements under this Article, meet all of the following requirements when applying for grants under this Article:

(1) The grant application must demonstrate the participant's plan to provide general public transportation with an emphasis on elderly, disabled, and economically disadvantaged populations.

(2) The grant application must demonstrate the participant's plan for interagency coordination that, at a minimum, allows the participation of all State-funded and federally-funded agencies and programs with transportation needs in the proposed service area in the development of the applicant's public transportation program.

(3) Any participant serving a nonurbanized area that is not receiving Federal Section 5311 funding must meet the operating and safety compliance requirements as set forth in that federal program.

(4) The participant is required to hold public hearings to allow comment on the proposed service plan in all municipalities with populations of 1,500 inhabitants or more within the proposed service area.

(b) Service extensions by any participant after July 1, 2005 by either annexation or intergovernmental agreement must meet the 4 requirements of subsection (a).

(c) In order to receive funding, the Department shall certify that the participant has met the requirements of this Section. Funding priority shall be given to service extension, multi-county, and multi-jurisdictional projects.

(d) The Department shall develop an application process for funding in new service areas. The application shall seek information from potential applicants that includes, but is not limited to, a description of the proposed service in the new area and a budget for providing that service. The application must also contain the information described in item (1) of subsection (a) of this Section. The Department shall certify that the applicant has met the requirements of this Section and shall submit an appropriation for the applicant that is equal to 65% of eligible operating expenses of an approved budget for the applicant's new service area. If the applicant is an existing participant that is extending its service area, either by annexation or intergovernmental agreement, then, in the first fiscal year following the extension of the service area, that participant's appropriation shall exceed its 10% annual growth by an amount equal to 65% of eligible operating expenses of its approved budget for the new service area.

(Source: P.A. 94-70, eff. 6-22-05.)