Full Text of HR1261 93rd General Assembly
HR1261 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR1261 |
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LRB093 24069 DRH 54228 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Illinois has a competitive advantage over
other | 3 |
| states with our extensive network of railroads
that are the | 4 |
| envy of other states; and
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| WHEREAS, Our passenger train service is not up to par
with | 6 |
| other states and a faint echo of the passenger
train service | 7 |
| enjoyed by other Western nations; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, The City of Chicago is a rail hub of the
nation, | 9 |
| with dozens of different lines converging in
downtown Chicago, | 10 |
| creating economic opportunities but
also massive gridlock that | 11 |
| affects freight and
passenger train service all over the State | 12 |
| of Illinois; and | 13 |
| WHEREAS, The CREATE (Chicago Region Environmental and | 14 |
| Transportation Efficiency) Program is a proposed $1.5-billion | 15 |
| modernization of the freight and passenger rail infrastructure | 16 |
| serving Chicago and northeast Illinois that will improve | 17 |
| passenger rail service, reduce freight rail and highway | 18 |
| congestion, eliminate numerous conflicts between rail and road | 19 |
| traffic, reduce motorist delays, and enhance safety; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, The plan calls for creation of five rail
corridors | 21 |
| through the city, including one primarily for passenger trains, | 22 |
| improvements at 33 grade crossings in the Chicago region, and | 23 |
| the opening of a key corridor in downtown Chicago for | 24 |
| commercial development; and | 25 |
| WHEREAS, The private railroad companies are
contributing a | 26 |
| significant amount of funds to the
project, along with the City | 27 |
| of Chicago and the federal government; and
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| WHEREAS, The federal government's share of the program
has | 29 |
| not been appropriated or authorized; and
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HR1261 |
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LRB093 24069 DRH 54228 r |
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| WHEREAS, The State's $200 million investment in
upgrading | 2 |
| the track between Chicago and St. Louis
relies on the CREATE | 3 |
| Program to improve service from
Joliet to Chicago; therefore, | 4 |
| be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 6 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, That we | 7 |
| call on the Congress and the President to work to secure full | 8 |
| funding for the CREATE Program; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That we call on the Congress and the President to | 10 |
| work to secure federal funding to complete the necessary | 11 |
| infrastructure work on the Chicago-Springfield-St. Louis | 12 |
| corridor; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That we call on Governor Blagojevich to include | 14 |
| sufficient funding in the State's 2006 budget to increase | 15 |
| service
on the Chicago-Springfield-St. Louis corridor from | 16 |
| three daily departures to five daily departures; and be it | 17 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 19 |
| delivered to the President of the United States, the President | 20 |
| pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the Speaker of the U.S. House | 21 |
| of Representatives, each member of the Illinois congressional | 22 |
| delegation, and the Governor.
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