Bill Text: IL SB2571 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Engrossed
Bill Title: Creates the High-Speed Rail Authority Act. Contains only a short title provision.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-2)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-11-29 - Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate [SB2571 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-SB2571-Engrossed.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning local government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
5 | Illinois and Midwest High-Speed Rail Commission Act.
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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.
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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.
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16 | Section 15. Ex-officio members; eligibility; designation | ||||||
17 | of representative.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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20 | (c) Nothing in this Act shall preclude the Department of | ||||||
21 | Transportation from planning for high-speed rail.
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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.
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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.
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6 | Section 95. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1, | ||||||
7 | 2014.
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8 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
9 |