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91_SB0883
LRB9105065WHdv
1 AN ACT in relation to transportation needs of low-income
2 workers.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
6 Transportation To Work Act.
7 Section 5. Program created. The Transportation to Work
8 Program is created within the Department of Human Services.
9 Section 10. Program components. The Transportation to
10 Work Program shall consist of:
11 (a) a subsidy for eligible low-income workers to cover
12 transportation costs for commuting between home and work; and
13 (b) a loan program to assist low-income workers to
14 acquire an automobile for transportation necessary to
15 maintain employment.
16 Section 15. Low-Income Transportation Subsidy.
17 (a) The low-income transportation subsidy component
18 shall be available to any adult worker who:
19 (1) is a recipient of Temporary Assistance for
20 Needy Families, or has gross income of less than the
21 federal poverty level for the worker's family size;
22 (2) is employed not less than an average of 20
23 hours per week; and
24 (3) verifies the transportation expenses by proof
25 of the ordinary expenses of public transportation between
26 the worker's home and job, or, when driving is necessary,
27 the mileage between home and job by the route that
28 normally covers the distance in the least amount of time.
29 (b) Payment for mileage rather than public
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1 transportation shall be available when the worker uses an
2 automobile for transportation between home, child care site,
3 and job, and there is no public transportation between the
4 worker's home, child care site, and job, or public
5 transportation would not be available during the particular
6 hours that the worker is employed, or the public
7 transportation would consume more than 3 hours round-trip
8 and more time than driving ordinarily would consume.
9 (c) The payment for public transportation shall be the
10 actual cost, minus an amount equal to the cost of a monthly
11 pass on the Chicago Transit Authority, regardless of where in
12 the State the worker lives.
13 (d) The payment for mileage shall be the number of miles
14 multiplied by the amount allowed per mile by the federal
15 Internal Revenue Service for tax purposes, minus $60.
16 (e) The Illinois Department shall adopt the method of
17 payment by rule, and it may vary from place to place and may
18 consist of cash, vouchers, arrangements with vendors, or
19 other means. Payment shall be made monthly and in advance of
20 the month to be covered. The first full month after the
21 month of application shall be the first covered month.
22 Workers shall verify eligibility factors no less than every 3
23 months and shall report changes affecting eligibility upon
24 occurrence.
25 (f) The Illinois Department may contract, or authorize
26 its employment, education, and training contractors to
27 contract, with taxicab companies in circumstances where
28 taxicabs are an important option for transportation to and
29 from work, for the purpose of designating the taxicab
30 companies as "public transportation" under this Section. The
31 contracts may be conditioned upon the agreement of the
32 company to charge rates that approximate the costs of public
33 transportation for similar commuting in comparable areas of
34 the State where public transportation is available. The
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1 contracts may also provide for a lump sum payment to the
2 company for a defined amount of service, rather than payment
3 based on charges for each ride. Absent such contracts,
4 taxicabs are not "public transportation" under this Section.
5 Section 20. Automobile acquisition.
6 (a) The automobile acquisition component shall be
7 available to any worker who:
8 (1) is a recipient of Temporary Assistance for
9 Needy Families, or has gross income of less than the
10 federal poverty level for the worker's family size;
11 (2) is employed not less than 20 hours per week;
12 (3) does not own an automobile; and
13 (4) has a lack of public transportation options
14 that would enable the worker to participate in the
15 low-income transportation subsidy component under Section
16 15.
17 (b) Where feasible, the Department shall contract out
18 the administration of the automobile acquisition program to
19 non-profit organizations, or to for-profit organizations on a
20 pro bono basis, or to local governmental units.
21 (c) The automobile acquisition program shall provide
22 loans to eligible workers who wish to purchase an automobile
23 that, in the judgment of the Department or contractor, is in
24 good condition and affordable to the worker, considering all
25 payments that will have to be made for the acquisition and
26 normal maintenance. Loans may include an amount for the
27 mechanical inspection of the car to ascertain "good
28 condition". The amount of a loan may not exceed $2,500. A
29 security interest shall be taken on the automobile. Loans
30 shall be interest-free and shall be repaid in equal monthly
31 installments over a period of not less than 24 months. If
32 any payment is in default for more than 60 days, the
33 Department or contractor may pursue any remedies available
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1 under law, including repossession and tax offset. At the
2 option of the worker, and for a fee of $50 to be added to the
3 balance of the loan, if the worker has payments to make on
4 the automobile to a third party over and above the amount of
5 the loan, the first payment on the loan may be delayed for up
6 to one year after the date of purchase of the automobile.
7 When payments on the loan begin, the worker shall receive a
8 credit against the principal of the loan of $25 for each
9 month in which the worker both makes the payment due on the
10 loan and does not receive cash assistance under the TANF
11 program.
12 (d) If the worker is unlikely to be able to make monthly
13 payments on a loan under subsection (c) but otherwise can
14 afford to purchase and maintain an automobile, the Department
15 or contractor may make a loan for up to $1,000 that the
16 worker shall repay exclusively through assignment of future
17 State tax refunds. The Department or contractor shall advise
18 the worker of the minimum number of tax exemptions to claim
19 at work in order to produce a tax refund.
20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
21 becoming law.