August 21, 2018

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois House of Representatives,

100th General Assembly:

Today, I return House Bill 5195 with specific recommendations for change.

This legislation creates an avenue for students who do not have access to school-sponsored transportation to obtain said transportation, if the student’s route to school poses a safety hazard due to “a course or pattern of criminal activity.”

As written, House Bill 5195 explicitly excludes Chicago Public Schools due to the fact that Chicago already has legislation governing the safe travel of students to and from school. That law, which includes Chicago’s Safe Passage Program, only applies to Chicago Public Schools and utilizes a different process and set of criteria to guarantee the safe travel of students than is proposed in House Bill 5195.

All students in Illinois, regardless of zip code, have the right to safely travel to and from school, and our government has a responsibility to protect that right. However, access to safe transit for students across the state should be evaluated and granted comparably, without any exceptions or carve-outs for particular cities or jurisdictions.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(e) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 5195, entitled “AN ACT concerning education,” with the following recommendation for change:

By replacing page 2, line 25 through page 3, line 1 with:

“Omnibus Prevention Act. Such transportation, if provided due to vehicular traffic or rail crossings, shall not be provided if adequate transportation for the public is available. Such transportation, if provided due to a course or pattern of criminal activity, may be provided notwithstanding if adequate transportation for the public is available.”; and

On page 5, by deleting lines 6 through 9.

With these changes, House Bill 5195 will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner

GOVERNOR