SR0144LRB101 11296 JWD 56686 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Proposals have been made to sell or lease all or
3part of the property of the State toll highway system to
4private parties and also to assign all or part of the revenue
5received by the State toll highway system from tolls paid by
6the public to private parties, in order to raise money for
7Illinois' pension funds; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Toll Highway Act provides that the purpose of
9the State Toll Highway Authority is "to promote the public
10welfare, and to facilitate vehicular traffic by providing
11convenient, safe, modern and limited access highways designed
12for the accommodation of the needs of the traveling public
13through and within the State of Illinois," not to enrich
14private parties through the use of its public powers; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Toll Highway Act provides that the tolls
16collected by the State Toll Highway Authority are to be used
17"to provide for the construction, operation, regulation and
18maintenance of a toll highway or a system of toll highways,
19incorporating therein the benefits of advanced engineering
20skill, design, experience and safety factors, to eliminate
21existing traffic hazards, and to prevent automotive injuries
22and fatalities", not for the enrichment of private parties; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Proposals to divert the public funds and property
2of the State Toll Highway Authority for the enrichment of
3private parties violate the spirit, if not the letter, of
4Section 1 of Article VIII of the Illinois Constitution, which
5provides that "public funds, property or credit shall only be
6used for public purposes"; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Proposals to divert the public funds and property
8of the State Toll Highway Authority rightly call to mind the
9City of Chicago's failed experiment with privatizing its
10parking meters, parking garages, and the Chicago Skyway, where
11ever-increasing fees continue to be paid to enrich private
12parties while providing no continuing benefit to the public;
13and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 2016, the citizens of Illinois expressed their
15opposition to such diversions of public funds by amending their
16Constitution to add Section 11 to Article IX, which provides
17that "moneys, including bond proceeds, derived from taxes,
18fees, excises, or license taxes relating to registration,
19title, or operation or use of vehicles, or related to the use
20of highways, roads, streets, bridges, mass transit, intercity
21passenger rail, ports, airports, or to fuels used for
22propelling vehicles, or derived from taxes, fees, excises, or
23license taxes relating to any other transportation
24infrastructure or transportation operation, shall be expended"

 

 

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1only for "the following: the costs of administering laws
2related to vehicles and transportation, including statutory
3refunds and adjustments provided in those laws; payment of
4highway obligations; costs for construction, reconstruction,
5maintenance, repair, and betterment of highways, roads,
6streets, bridges, mass transit, intercity passenger rail,
7ports, airports, or other forms of transportation; and other
8statutory highway purposes."; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Using the tolls paid by the citizens of Illinois
10for the operation and maintenance of the State toll highway
11system to raise money for Illinois' pension funds blatantly
12violates the plain meaning of Section 11 of Article IX of the
13Illinois Constitution; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, That we state our firm
16opposition to the unconstitutional diversion of the tolls
17collected by the State Toll Highway Authority; and be it
18further
 
19    RESOLVED, That we fully support the right of every Illinois
20citizen to enjoy the full benefit of the tolls paid to the
21State Toll Highway Authority in the form of improved roads and
22safer driving, without having any portion of those funds
23diverted for the enrichment of private parties; and be it

 

 

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1further
 
2    RESOLVED, That we state our firm opposition to any sale or
3lease of the properties of the State toll highway system and to
4any redirection of any portion of the tolls paid for the
5operation and maintenance of the State toll highway system for
6the enrichment of private parties.