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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The original Toll Highway Authority was
3established in 1941, and after construction of the first toll
4highways in Illinois was delayed by World War II, the Illinois
5State Toll Highway Commission was established in 1953; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The first three toll highways in the Chicago area
7were all planned, constructed, and finally opened in 1958 under
8the authority of this Commission; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The first segment to open was the Jane Addams
10Memorial Tollway between Devon Avenue and Elgin on August 20,
111958; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Toll Highway Act, in its present form, dates
13from 1967 but has been amended since; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Under this Toll Highway Act which was promulgated
15April 1, 1968, the Illinois Toll Highway Authority assumed the
16assets and obligations of the Illinois State Toll Highway
17Commission; and
 
18    WHEREAS, When the Illinois Tollway was originally created
19in 1953, lawmakers used the revenue to pay for the original
20bonding needed to build highways; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The original Tollway projections were actually
2incorrect, as money poured into the Tollway and the original
3bonds were paid off in full by the early 1980s, years earlier
4than anticipated; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Despite the revenues exceeding expectations and
6the original bonds being paid off, the tolls still remain on
7Illinois roadways, serving as a constant reminder of the broken
8promise made to the people of Illinois; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Gov. JB Pritzker's administration issued a plan to
10address Illinois' chronically underfunded public pensions that
11called for injecting more cash from a proposed graduated income
12tax, spreading payments out over a longer period, adding $2
13billion in debt and selling State assets that could include the
14Illinois Tollway; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Illinois Tollway is not an asset to be sold
16and should become a freeway due the retirement of to the
17original bonds that built the system; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
19HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
20we oppose any plan to sell the Illinois Tollway; and be it
21further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Toll Highway Authority
2be dissolved and operations of the highway be conveyed to the
3Illinois Department of Transportation to be operated as a
4freeway; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
6delivered to Governor Pritzker, the Secretary of the Illinois
7Department of Transportation, and the Chairperson of the
8Illinois Toll Highway Authority.