State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Engrossed ][ House Amendment 001 ]


92_HB4941

 
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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                              ARTICLE 5

 5        Section 5-1.  Short title. This Article may be  cited  as
 6    the Transportation Resources for Innovative Projects Law.

 7        Section  5-5.  Findings;  purpose.  The  General Assembly
 8    finds that safe, reliable, and convenient  transportation  to
 9    and from work and related destinations such as child care and
10    education  is an extremely important factor in the ability to
11    find and retain employment, particularly in the lower  income
12    sectors of the economy. For many people, these transportation
13    needs  are  not  met by existing mass transit. This creates a
14    need for innovative transportation to  work  strategies  that
15    fit   within  local  circumstances.  Many  localities  around
16    Illinois do not  have  the  resources  or  the  expertise  to
17    develop   and   support  innovative  transportation  options.
18    Localities  need  access  to  technical  assistance  both  in
19    designing programs and in accessing various sources of  State
20    and  federal  funds. Illinois also leaves substantial federal
21    transportation funds unclaimed because of the failure to  put
22    forward  projects  to  use  the  funds.  Thus, Illinois would
23    benefit from an Interagency  Coordinating  Committee  to  set
24    priorities  and  define  a  vision  for  improving  access to
25    transportation   for   the   transportation    disadvantaged.
26    Illinois  would  also benefit from a unified State process to
27    apply for federal transportation  assistance  for  innovative
28    transportation  to  work  projects  and  strategies  and  for
29    supplying the matching funds necessary to access that federal
30    assistance.  The  purpose of this Article is to establish the
 
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 1    Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transportation.

 2                             ARTICLE 10

 3        Section 10-1.  Short title. This Article may be cited  as
 4    the Illinois Coordinating Committee on Transportation Law.

 5        Section 10-5.  Definitions. As used in this Article:
 6             (1)  "Agency"   means   an   official,   commission,
 7        authority,   council,  department,  committee,  division,
 8        bureau, board, or any other unit or entity of the  State,
 9        a  municipality,  a county, or other local governing body
10        or  a  private  not-for-profit   transportation   service
11        providing agency.
12             (2)  "Committee"  means  the  Illinois  Coordinating
13        Committee on Transportation.
14             (3)  "Coordination"  means  the  arrangement for the
15        provision   of    transportation    services    to    the
16        transportation   disadvantaged   in   a  manner  that  is
17        cost-effective, efficient, and reduces fragmentation  and
18        duplication of services.
19             (4)  "Transportation    disadvantaged"  means  those
20        persons who, because of physical  or  mental  disability,
21        income  status,  age,  location  of  residence,  or other
22        reasons are unable to transport themselves or to purchase
23        affordable transportation and are,  therefore,  dependent
24        upon  others to obtain access to health care, employment,
25        education,  shopping,   social   activities,   or   other
26        life-sustaining activities.

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

 6        Section 10-15.  Duties of Committee.  The Committee shall
 7    encourage   the   coordination   of   public   and    private
 8    transportation  services,  with  priority  given  to services
 9    directed toward  those  populations  who  are  currently  not
10    served  or  who  are  underserved by existing public transit.
11    The Committee shall aim to  reduce  duplicative  services  in
12    order to achieve a transportation system that serves the most
13    citizens  possible  in  the most cost-effective and efficient
14    manner  possible.  The  Committee   shall   seek   innovative
15    approaches  to  providing  and  funding  local transportation
16    services and offer their expertise to communities  statewide.
17    Specifically, the Committee shall:
18             (1)  Coordinate   State   efforts   within   federal
19        guidelines  to  facilitate  coordination of human service
20        transportation programs.
21             (2)  Establish  statewide  priorities  and  draft  a
22        strategic  plan.   These   priorities   should   include:
23        developing    objectives    for    providing    essential
24        transportation    services    to    the    transportation
25        disadvantaged;   developing   a  process  for  requesting
26        federal funds such as the Job Access and Reverse  Commute
27        (JARC)   Grant  program  that  is  based  on  input  from
28        communities   statewide;   assisting    communities    in
29        identifying   funds  from  other  available  sources  for
30        projects that are not an eligible use of JARC funds;  and
31        developing  a  long-range  plan  to  identify and recruit
32        potential stakeholders in future community transportation
33        initiatives.
 
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 1             (3)  Develop  goals   and   objectives   to   reduce
 2        duplication  of  services and achieve coverage that is as
 3        complete as possible.
 4             (4)  Address any and  all  transportation   barriers
 5        and propose solutions to eliminate these barriers.
 6             (5)  Serve  as a clearinghouse for information about
 7        funding  sources   and   innovations   in   serving   the
 8        transportation disadvantaged.
 9             (6)  Submit  a  report,  not  later than February 1,
10        2004, to the  Governor  and  the  General  Assembly  that
11        outlines the progress made by the Committee in performing
12        its  duties  set  forth  in paragraphs (1) through (6) of
13        this Section and makes recommendations for statutory  and
14        regulatory changes to promote coordination.

15                             ARTICLE 99

16        Section  99.  Effective  date. This Act takes effect upon
17    becoming law.

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