Bill Text: IL HB2637 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Toll Highway Act. Allows an active-status member of the Illinois National Guard to use a toll highway without paying the toll if the active-status member has applied for and received from the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority an Official Permit Card. Requires the Authority to adopt rules for the issuance of a permit that allows an active-status member of the Illinois National Guard to use any toll highway without paying the established toll.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-06 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB2637 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB2637-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2637 Introduced , by Rep. Martin McLaughlin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
605 ILCS 10/19 from Ch. 121, par. 100-19
Amends the Toll Highway Act. Allows an active-status member of the Illinois National Guard to use a toll highway without paying the toll if the active-status member has applied for and received from the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority an Official Permit Card. Requires the Authority to adopt rules for the issuance of a permit that allows an active-status member of the Illinois National Guard to use any toll highway without paying the established toll.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning transportation.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Toll Highway Act is amended by changing
Section 19 as follows:
(605 ILCS 10/19) (from Ch. 121, par. 100-19)
Sec. 19. Toll rates. The Authority shall fix and revise
from time to time, tolls or charges or rates for the privilege
of using each of the toll highways constructed pursuant to
this Act. Such tolls shall be so fixed and adjusted at rates
calculated to provide the lowest reasonable toll rates that
will provide funds sufficient with other revenues of the
Authority to pay, (a) the cost of the construction of a toll
highway authorized by joint resolution of the General Assembly
pursuant to Section 14.1 and the reconstruction, major repairs
or improvements of toll highways, (b) the cost of maintaining,
repairing, regulating and operating the toll highways
including only the necessary expenses of the Authority, and
(c) the principal of all bonds, interest thereon and all
sinking fund requirements and other requirements provided by
resolutions authorizing the issuance of the bonds as they
shall become due. In fixing the toll rates pursuant to this
Section 19 and Section 10(c) of this Act, the Authority shall

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take into account the effect of the provisions of this Section
19 permitting the use of the toll highway system without
payment of the covenants of the Authority contained in the
resolutions and trust indentures authorizing the issuance of
bonds of the Authority. No such provision permitting the use
of the toll highway system without payment of tolls after the
date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly shall
be applied in a manner that impairs the rights of bondholders
pursuant to any resolution or trust indentures authorizing the
issuance of bonds of the Authority. The use and disposition of
any sinking or reserve fund shall be subject to such
regulation as may be provided in the resolution or trust
indenture authorizing the issuance of the bonds. Subject to
the provisions of any resolution or trust indenture
authorizing the issuance of bonds any moneys in any such
sinking fund in excess of an amount equal to one year's
interest on the bonds then outstanding secured by such sinking
fund may be applied to the purchase or redemption of bonds. All
such bonds so redeemed or purchased shall forthwith be
cancelled and shall not again be issued. No person shall be
permitted to use any toll highway without paying the toll
established under this Section except when on official Toll
Highway Authority business which includes police and other
emergency vehicles. However, any law enforcement agency
vehicle, fire department vehicle, public or private ambulance
service vehicle engaged in the performance of an emergency

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service or duty that necessitates the use of the toll highway
system, or other emergency vehicle that is plainly marked
shall not be required to pay a toll to use a toll highway. A
law enforcement, fire protection, or emergency services
officer driving a law enforcement, fire protection, emergency
services agency vehicle, or public or private ambulance
service vehicle engaging in the performance of emergency
services or duties that is not plainly marked must present an
Official Permit Card which the law enforcement, fire
protection, or emergency services officer receives from his or
her law enforcement, fire protection, emergency services
agency, or public or private ambulance service in order to use
a toll highway without paying the toll. A law enforcement,
fire protection, emergency services agency, or public or
private ambulance service engaging in the performance of
emergency services or duties must apply to the Authority to
receive a permit, and the Authority shall adopt rules for the
issuance of a permit, that allows public or private ambulance
service vehicles engaged in the performance of emergency
services or duties that necessitate the use of the toll
highway system and all law enforcement, fire protection, or
emergency services agency vehicles of the law enforcement,
fire protection, or emergency services agency to use any toll
highway without paying the toll established under this
Section. An active-status member of the Illinois National
Guard may use a toll highway without paying the toll if the

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active-status member has applied for and received from the
Authority an Official Permit Card. The Authority shall adopt
rules for the issuance of a permit that allows an
active-status member of the Illinois National Guard to use any
toll highway without paying the toll established under this
Section. The Authority shall maintain in its office a list of
all persons that are authorized to use any toll highway
without charge when on official business of the Authority and
such list shall be open to the public for inspection. In
recognition of the unique role of public transportation in
providing effective transportation in the Authority's service
region, and to give effect to the exemption set forth in
subsection (b) of Section 2.06 of the Regional Transportation
Authority Act, the following vehicles may use any toll highway
without paying the toll: (1) a vehicle owned or operated by the
Suburban Bus Division of the Regional Transportation Authority
that is being used to transport passengers for hire; and (2)
any revenue vehicle that is owned or operated by a Mass Transit
District created under Section 3 of the Local Mass Transit
District Act and running regular scheduled service.
Among other matters, this amendatory Act of 1990 is
intended to clarify and confirm the prior intent of the
General Assembly to allow toll revenues from the toll highway
system to be used to pay a portion of the cost of the
construction of the North-South Toll Highway authorized by
Senate Joint Resolution 122 of the 83rd General Assembly in

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1984.
(Source: P.A. 100-739, eff. 1-1-19.)