State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB2238

 
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 1        AN ACT concerning transportation.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4                              ARTICLE 5

 5        Section 5-1.  Short title. This Article may be  cited  as
 6    the Transportation Resources for Innovative Projects Law.

 7        Section  5-5.  Findings;  purpose.  The  General Assembly
 8    finds that safe, reliable, and convenient  transportation  to
 9    and  from work and related destinations such as to child care
10    and education facilities is an extremely important factor  in
11    the  ability  to  find and retain employment, particularly in
12    the lower income sectors of the  economy.  For  many  people,
13    these  transportation  needs  are  not  met  by existing mass
14    transit. This creates a need for innovative transportation to
15    work strategies that fit  within  local  circumstances.  Many
16    localities  around  Illinois do not have the resources or the
17    expertise to develop and  support  innovative  transportation
18    options.  Localities need access to technical assistance both
19    in designing programs and in  accessing  various  sources  of
20    State  and  federal  funds.  Illinois also leaves substantial
21    federal transportation funds unclaimed because of the failure
22    to put forward projects using the funds. Thus, Illinois would
23    benefit from an Interagency  Coordinating  Committee  to  set
24    priorities  and  define  a  vision  for  improving  access to
25    transportation   for   the   transportation    disadvantaged.
26    Illinois  would  also benefit from a unified State process to
27    apply for federal transportation  assistance  for  innovative
28    transportation  to  work  projects  and  strategies  and  for
29    supplying the matching funds necessary to access that federal
30    assistance.  The  purpose of this Article is to establish the
 
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 1    Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transportation.

 2                             ARTICLE 10

 3        Section 10-1.  Short title. This Article may be cited  as
 4    the Illinois Coordinating Committee on Transportation Law.

 5        Section 10-5.  Definitions. As used in this Article:
 6             (1)  "Agency"   means   an   official,   commission,
 7        authority,   council,  department,  committee,  division,
 8        bureau, board, or any other unit or entity of the  State,
 9        a  municipality, a county, or other local governing body,
10        or  a  private  not-for-profit   transportation   service
11        providing agency.
12             (2)  "Committee"  means  the  Illinois  Coordinating
13        Committee on Transportation.
14             (3)  "Coordination"  means  the  arrangement for the
15        provision   of    transportation    services    to    the
16        transportation   disadvantaged   in   a  manner  that  is
17        cost-effective, efficient, and reduces fragmentation  and
18        duplication of services.
19             (4)  "Transportation    disadvantaged"  means  those
20        persons who, because of physical  or  mental  disability,
21        income  status,  age,  location  of  residence,  or other
22        reasons are unable to transport themselves or to purchase
23        affordable transportation and are,  therefore,  dependent
24        upon  others to obtain access to health care, employment,
25        education,  shopping,   social   activities,   or   other
26        life-sustaining activities.

27        Section  10-10.  Committee.   The  Illinois  Coordinating
28    Committee  on  Transportation is created and shall consist of
29    the following members:
30             (1)  The Governor or his or her designee.
 
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 1             (2)  The Secretary of Transportation or his  or  her
 2        designee.
 3             (3)  The  Secretary of Human Services (or his or her
 4        designee)  and  one  additional  representative  of   the
 5        Department of Human Services designated by the Secretary.
 6             (4)  The Director of Aging or his or her designee.
 7             (5)  The  Director  of  Public  Aid  or  his  or her
 8        designee.
 9             (6)  The Director of Commerce and Community  Affairs
10        or his or her designee.
11             (7)  A  representative of the Illinois Rural Transit
12        Assistance Center.
13             (8)  A person  who  is  a  member  of  a  recognized
14        statewide  organization  representing  older residents of
15        Illinois.
16             (9)  A representative  of  centers  for  independent
17        living.
18             (10)  A   representative   of  the  Illinois  Public
19        Transportation Association.
20             (11)  A representative of an existing transportation
21        system that coordinates and provides transit services  in
22        a multi-county area for the Department of Transportation,
23        Department  of Human Services, Department of Commerce and
24        Community Affairs, or Department on Aging.
25             (12)  A representative of a  statewide  organization
26        of   rehabilitation  facilities  or  other  providers  of
27        services for persons with one or more disabilities.
28             (13)  A  representative  of  the  Illinois  Planning
29        Council on Developmental Disabilities.
30             (14)  A representative of a  statewide  organization
31        of community action agencies.
32        The  Governor  shall appoint the members of the Committee
33    other than those named in paragraphs (1) through (6) of  this
34    Section.  The  Governor or his or her designee shall serve as
 
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 1    chairperson of the Committee and shall convene  the  meetings
 2    of  the  Committee.  The  Secretary of Transportation and the
 3    Secretary of Human Services, or their designees, shall  serve
 4    as  vice-chairpersons  and  shall  be  responsible  for staff
 5    support for the committee.

 6        Section 10-15.  Duties of Committee.  The Committee shall
 7    encourage   the   coordination   of   public   and    private
 8    transportation  services,  with  priority  given  to services
 9    directed toward  those  populations  who  are  currently  not
10    served  or  who  are  underserved by existing public transit.
11    The Committee shall aim to  reduce  duplicative  services  in
12    order to achieve a transportation system that serves the most
13    citizens  possible  in  the most cost-effective and efficient
14    manner  possible.  The  Committee   shall   seek   innovative
15    approaches  to  providing  and  funding  local transportation
16    services and offer their expertise to communities  statewide.
17    Specifically, the Committee shall:
18             (1)  Coordinate   State   efforts   within   federal
19        guidelines  to  facilitate  coordination of human service
20        transportation programs.
21             (2)  Establish  statewide  priorities  and  draft  a
22        strategic  plan.   These   priorities   should   include:
23        developing    objectives    for    providing    essential
24        transportation    services    to    the    transportation
25        disadvantaged;   developing   a  process  for  requesting
26        federal funds such as the Job Access and Reverse  Commute
27        (JARC)   Grant  program  that  is  based  on  input  from
28        communities   statewide;   assisting    communities    in
29        identifying   funds  from  other  available  sources  for
30        projects that are not an eligible use of JARC funds;  and
31        developing  a  long-range  plan  to  identify and recruit
32        potential stakeholders in future community transportation
33        initiatives.
 
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 1             (3)  Develop  goals   and   objectives   to   reduce
 2        duplication  of  services and achieve coverage that is as
 3        complete as possible.
 4             (4)  Address any and  all  transportation   barriers
 5        and propose solutions to eliminate these barriers.
 6             (5)  Serve  as a clearinghouse for information about
 7        funding  sources   and   innovations   in   serving   the
 8        transportation disadvantaged.
 9             (6)  Submit  a  report,  not  later than February 1,
10        2004, to the  Governor  and  the  General  Assembly  that
11        outlines the progress made by the Committee in performing
12        its  duties  set  forth  in paragraphs (1) through (6) of
13        this Section and makes recommendations for statutory  and
14        regulatory changes to promote coordination.

15                             ARTICLE 99

16        Section  99.  Effective  date. This Act takes effect upon
17    becoming law.

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