BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch confirmed Tuesday that Downstate Illinois will receive benefits from the Chicago transit bill, though he gave no details on how it will affect statewide transit.
Chicago’s transportation system is facing a fiscal crisis that could cost thousands of jobs and cut service lines without new funding. Welch said the bill aims to support the entire state, not just the city.
“Transit is important not just to northern Illinois, but to downstate Illinois just as well,” Welch said. “And if we get the policy right, it’s going to be a positive for all of Illinois.”
A funding proposal introduced at the end of the legislative session included a $1.50 statewide tax on all non-medical and grocery deliveries. That measure passed the Senate but failed in the House. Since then, some Downstate residents have strongly opposed funding Chicago’s transit system through taxes collected outside the city.
Bloomington’s State Representative Sharon Chung said she will work to ensure Central Illinois receives a fair share. “The fiscal cliff in Chicagoland they’re experiencing, we are subject to that as well,” Chung said. “So, anything that happens with transit is also going to help us out as well.”
Lawmakers hope to pass some type of funding plan for Chicago transit during the veto session.
Also on the October session agenda is addressing high energy bills across Illinois. Utility prices have surged due to increased demand from data centers and the shutdown of coal plants, while cuts to Biden-era solar tax credits have slowed renewable energy growth.
Welch said the state can’t fully replace lost federal support but still needs to act. “I don’t know anyone who’s happy with the cost of their utility bills right now,” he said. “We’ve had working groups working diligently all summer long on this issue, and we are hoping that we can get something done here in the upcoming veto session.”
Illinois has also been at the center of a redistricting fight. After Texas Democrats came to Illinois to block a mid-year redistricting bill backed by former President Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott—which could give Republicans five more House seats—some Democrats want Illinois to redraw its own congressional maps to favor their party.
Republicans and others, including former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, oppose that idea and are pushing for a fair maps initiative.
Welch defended Illinois’ current maps, noting that the latest changes helped elect Sharon Chung as the first Korean American member of the House. “We haven’t had any conversations regarding redoing our maps in the middle of a decade,” he said.
Welch made his comments during a district tour in Bloomington, where he met with fellow Democratic House members and constituents. He said the most common concern he hears from residents is the rising cost of living.
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