August 12, 2011

To the Honorable Members of the

Illinois House of Representatives,

97^th General Assembly:

I hereby return House Bill 2270 with a specific recommendation for change.

I commend the sponsors of House Bill 2270 for their efforts to provide opportunities for funding High Speed Rail in Illinois. Development of our State’s rail infrastructure is a priority for my Administration and I am fully committed to its progress..  However, in order to ensure that High Speed Rail is fully coordinated between State agencies, an approval process for the design and construction of projects is necessary.

My recommendation for change ensures that the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Toll Highway Authority work cooperatively and collaboratively on this important endeavor. By ensuring that each agency deploys its expertise most effectively, I am confident that high speed rail will come to fruition.

Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 2270, entitled “AN ACT concerning transportation.”, with the following specific recommendation for change:

on page 1, by replacing lines 7 through 14 with:

“Power to construct railroad tracks. Upon written approval by the Governor, the Authority may exercise any powers that exist under this Act on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97^th General Assembly to design and construct new railroad tracks. The Authority may charge an access fee to any passenger or freight rail operator who wishes to use tracks which the Authority has constructed using the powers granted by this Section. Moneys in the Road Fund may not be used to implement this Section.  Authorization must be granted to the Authority for each individual and distinct railroad track project.”.

With this change, House Bill 2270 will have my approval.  I respectfully request your concurrence.

Sincerely,

PAT QUINN

Governor