Former Transportation Secretary urges state taxpayer funding for Chicago transit

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A former U.S. transportation secretary says Downstate Illinois residents should help fund Chicago transit, but a Metro East lawmaker disagrees.

The Illinois General Assembly is expected to address a regional transit fiscal cliff of at least $760 million during the fall veto session scheduled in October.

Former Illinois Congressman and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said lawmakers have to find a way to fund the Chicago Transit Authority.

“So many people rely on the CTA to get to their doctor’s appointments, to the grocery store, to work,” LaHood told The Center Square.

LaHood, who was in former President Barack Obama’s cabinent, spoke at the launch of the Fair Maps Illinois initiative in Chicago last week.

“It’s incumbent upon those responsible for funding it to find the money to fund it, and not just by increasing fares,” LaHood added.

When asked why residents outside of the Chicago area should be asked to help fund Chicago transit, LaHood said many Downstate Illinois residents visit the city.

“We come here. We take advantage of the public transportation system. Chicago is very important to Illinois. It’s an economic engine for Illinois, and it’s a part of Illinois,” LaHood said.

State Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, said the Illinois constitution states that public transportation is an essential public purpose, but she voted against the proposed $1.50 retail delivery tax to fund mass transit.

“While I support public transportation, I do not think that Downstate should be on the hook financially to bail out the failures within the Chicago public transit system,” Harriss told The Center Square.

State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said earlier this month that any funding plan would have to invest $1.5 billion and keep at least $200 million for downstate transit.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked about transit funding at an event in South Holland last week.

“There’s still a lot of work being done on it. Lots of it has come together already, but it’s not soup yet is the way I would say it,” Pritzker said.

State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, said a transit working group of House Democrats shared with him the possibility of some alternative revenue scenarios.

“It sounds like they’re taking a much more moderate approach, although there will still be, it sounds like, some surcharges or tax increases within the makeup of that bill,” DeWitte told The Center Square.

DeWitte said the transit fiscal cliff is $770 million. He said Senate Republicans are getting ready to propose their own piece of legislation.