Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB2571
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Full Text of SB2571  96th General Assembly

SB2571eng 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY



 


 
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1     AN ACT concerning local government.
 
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 Illinois and Midwest High-Speed Rail Commission Act.
 
6     Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7     "Commission" means the Illinois and Midwest High-Speed
8 Rail Commission.
9     "High-speed rail" means a system of new electrified tracks
10 designed primarily for trains capable of traveling at speeds in
11 excess of 150 miles per hour.
 
12     Section 10. Composition of the Commission.
13     (a) The Commission shall be composed of 15 members as
14 follows:
15         (1) 12 public members appointed by the Governor; and
16         (2) 3 ex-officio members as follows:
17             (A) the Illinois Secretary of Transportation;
18             (B) the Director of Commerce and Economic
19         Opportunity; and
20             (C) the Executive Director of the Illinois State
21         Toll Highway Authority.
22     (b) A person appointed as a public member of the Commission

 

 

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1 must be a resident of this State. Public members of the
2 Commission must include the following: (i) local elected
3 officials who have expressed interest in high-speed rail; (ii)
4 former elected officials with transportation policy expertise;
5 (iii) individuals with professional expertise in long-term
6 financing of infrastructure; and (iv) individuals with
7 expertise in transportation or railroad infrastructure
8 projects. The appointed members shall reflect the geographic
9 diversity of the State and shall include representation from
10 all regions of the State.
11     (c) Commission members shall be appointed within 45 days
12 after the effective date of this Act.
13     (d) The Governor shall designate one public member of the
14 Commission to serve as the chair of the Commission and one
15 public member to serve as the vice-chair of the Commission.
 
16     Section 15. Ex-officio members; eligibility; designation
17 of representative.
18     (a) An ex-officio member of the Commission vacates the
19 person's position on the Commission if the person ceases to
20 hold the position that qualifies the person for service on the
21 Commission.
22     (b) An ex-officio member may designate a representative to
23 serve on the Commission in the member's absence. A
24 representative designated under this subsection must be an
25 officer or employee of the State agency that employs the

 

 

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1 ex-officio member.
 
2     Section 20. Compensation; expenses.
3     (a) A public member of the Commission is not entitled to
4 compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the travel
5 expenses incurred by the member while transacting Commission
6 business.
7     (b) An ex-officio member's service on the Commission is an
8 additional duty of the underlying position that qualifies the
9 member for service on the Commission. The entitlement of an
10 ex-officio member to compensation or to reimbursement for
11 travel expenses incurred while transacting Commission business
12 is governed by the law that applies to the member's service in
13 that underlying position, and any payment to the member for
14 either purpose must be made from an appropriation that may be
15 used for the purpose and is available to the State agency that
16 the member serves in that underlying position.
 
17     Section 25. Meetings; quorum.
18     (a) The Commission shall meet at least monthly at the times
19 and places in this State that the chair designates until April
20 2011 and at least quarterly thereafter.
21     (b) Members of the Commission may participate in Commission
22 meetings by teleconference or video conference.
23     (c) A majority of the members of the Commission constitute
24 a quorum for transacting Commission business.
 

 

 

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1     Section 30. General powers and duties of the Commission.
2     (a) The Commission shall:
3         (1) Prepare and issue a report to the Governor, the
4     General Assembly, and the public recommending the best
5     governmental structure for a public-private partnership to
6     design, build, operate, maintain, and finance a high-speed
7     rail system for Illinois and the Midwest. The report must
8     include specific recommendations for legislation, if
9     statutory change is required, or specific administrative
10     regulations, if regulatory change is required, to
11     implement the recommended high-speed rail system. The
12     report must include recommended sources for the funding of
13     a high-speed rail system including private sources of
14     capital and revenue bonds. The report must contain
15     recommendations for integrating the high-speed rail system
16     into existing and planned Amtrak expansions, airports, and
17     public transportation systems. The report must include
18     recommendations for federal, State, and local actions for
19     the development and implementation of a high-speed rail
20     system. The report must be issued by March 20, 2011.
21         (2) Prepare a follow-up report that details the status
22     of recommendations issued by the Commission and any revised
23     and updated recommendations based on further public and
24     stakeholder input. The follow-up report must be issued by
25     February 1, 2012.

 

 

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1         (3) Develop a process to receive public and stakeholder
2     input on opinions and proposals for building, designing,
3     maintaining, operating, and financing a high-speed rail
4     system for Illinois and the Midwest. The process must
5     include the solicitation and receipt of formal expressions
6     of interest and other testimony from global high-speed rail
7     operators including without limitation Amtrak.
8         (4) Solicit and receive formal testimony, both written
9     and oral, from representatives of the other states in the
10     Midwest including without limitation representatives from
11     units of local government.
12         (5) Work collaboratively with the Department of
13     Transportation on any planning projects for high-speed
14     rail administered by the Department to comply with federal
15     high-speed rail requirements including without limitation
16     the solicitation of public input and comments.
17     (b) In implementing subsection (a), the Commission must
18 consult with and receive testimony from global high-speed rail
19 operators including without limitation Amtrak.
20     (c) Nothing in this Act shall preclude the Department of
21 Transportation from planning for high-speed rail.
 
22     Section 35. Funding. The Illinois Department of
23 Transportation may provide staff and other support to the
24 Commission from money available to the Department that may be
25 used for this purpose. The General Assembly may also

 

 

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1 specifically appropriate money to the Department to provide
2 staff and other support to the Commission.
3     The Commission may accept monetary gifts and grants from
4 any public or private source. The Commission may also accept
5 in-kind gifts.
 
6     Section 95. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
7 2014.
 
8     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
9 becoming law.