HJ0099 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0099 LRB094 19670 DRH 56124 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Chicago Regional Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program, also known as CREATE, would increase the capacity of the Chicago metropolitan rail network, remove major freight and passenger rail bottlenecks, and provide numerous benefits to the citizens and economy of the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Chicago is the nation's busiest, most important, and most congested rail hub, and demand for freight rail service in Chicago is expected to nearly double over the next twenty years, further worsening highway and rail congestion; and

WHEREAS, CREATE is a public private-partnership through which the federal government, the State of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and the freight and passenger railroads serving Chicago are expected collectively to invest $1.5 billion over six to ten years to address worsening congestion problems; and

WHEREAS, Implementation of the CREATE Program would provide benefits to the State of Illinois that far exceed the costs of the program, including: at least $595 million in benefits related to motorists, rail passengers, and safety; air quality improvements valued at $1.1 billion; construction-related benefits totaling $2.2 billion; highway construction savings of at least $77 million; more than 2,700 full-time construction jobs; and $365 million in purchases of materials and services; and

WHEREAS, The federal SAFETEA-LU transportation bill authorized $100 million for CREATE; and

WHEREAS, Privately owned railroad companies have committed to contributing private capital commensurate with the private benefits of the CREATE Program, as much as $212 million for the entire CREATE Program, and Metra has committed to contributing $20 million; and

WHEREAS, State funding of its share of CREATE will leverage substantially higher levels of funding from the federal government; and

WHEREAS, These investments in the CREATE Program will produce substantial State, regional, and national benefits that far outweigh costs of the plan; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that implementation of CREATE will provide major benefits to the citizens and economy of the State of Illinois by providing more jobs and a better quality of life for Illinois residents; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Governor, the Illinois General Assembly, the city of Chicago, the passenger and freight rail industry, and all CREATE partners should maximize the CREATE projects that can be constructed with the federal funds dedicated for CREATE in the federal SAFETEA-LU transportation bill; and be it further

RESOLVED, That because of the benefits of the CREATE Program, it should continue to be one of the highest priorities of the State of Illinois, and the next State capital program should fully fund the State's portion of CREATE; and be it further

RESOLVED, That because the benefits of CREATE will extend beyond Illinois to the entire nation, the U.S. Congress should provide the full federal share for implementation of the CREATE plan in its next federal transportation authorization bill; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each Member of the Illinois congressional delegation.