Lawmakers file transit reform bill, but don't yet address fiscal cliff
But the bill, filed just days before the scheduled adjournment of the spring legislative session, does not include a proposal for how those reforms will be funded as Chicago-area transit agencies face an impending $771 million fiscal cliff at the end of this year.
Transit agencies have warned that they would have to dramatically slash service if legislators don't find funding to plug the budget gap, which comes as COVID-19 relief funding runs out. The agencies have said they will need to start planning for those cuts soon, though lawmakers could punt the issue to later in the year.
More than 50 'L' stations could close or see service slashed, and more than half of the CTA's bus routes could be eliminated entirely in that 'doomsday' scenario, the Regional Transportation Authority has warned. On Metra, trains could run only once an hour on weekdays and service on the Metra Electric's line to Blue Island could be cut entirely. Pace bus service in the suburbs could be eliminated entirely on weekends.
Under the legislation filed Wednesday, the RTA would be renamed the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. Notably, the bill does not consolidate the region's transit agencies under a single regional agency — a proposal opposed by labor groups, which instead supported a proposal that would boost coordination between the agencies.
Still, it makes a number of other changes after months of negotiations, including establishing a new law enforcement task force to address safety concerns and revising the balance of power on the boards that govern one of the largest transit systems in the country.
The makeup of the entities overseeing governance and policies of the system has been a key point of negotiations, and the proposal released Wednesday seemed to weaken the influence of Chicago's mayor.
NITA would also oversee a law enforcement task force throughout the transit systems to address safety concerns for riders and workers.
The major public safety change to the systems would be the creation of the single task force that would be led by the Cook County sheriff's office with assistance from Chicago police, Metra police and other local law enforcement agencies within the system's purview.
Within a year, the task force would vote to implement a sworn law enforcement officer program on public transit in the region, as well as a crime prevention plan to protect riders and workers, the legislation says.
The 'primary mission' of the task force would be the 'preservation of life and reducing the occurrence and the fear of crime on the public transit system,' according to the bill text.
For years, crime on the CTA — as well as the perception of crime — have been nagging concerns for riders. The rate of reported violent crime on trains spiked as the pandemic drained trains and buses of many riders, and though it has since gone down, it remained higher than pre-pandemic levels during the first half of 2024.
Through June 2024, there were about 5.1 violent crimes per million rides, comparable to the same timeframe in 2023 but well above the years before the pandemic. In the first half of 2019, for instance, 2.5 violent crimes were reported per million rides, a September 2024 Tribune analysis of CTA ridership and city crime data showed.
Updated CTA crime statistics were not immediately available from the CTA or CPD. But Chicago overall has seen a drop in nearly every major crime category this year with nearly five months in the books. For instance, homicides were down 23% from the previous year and robberies were down 36% during that period. Total shootings were also down by 33% in the last year.
The legislation suggests that the task force could develop a data-driven policing approach by focusing its crime-fighting efforts on hot spots known for violence, property crimes such as robbery and theft and 'code of conduct' crimes, according to the measure. The unit could also partner with faith-based and community groups, and help people experiencing homelessness find shelter and appropriate social services.
The legislation would also require the creation of a 'transit ambassador' program by June 2026. Transit ambassadors would be workers dedicated to assisting passengers throughout the system, including by helping to connect them with social or medical services as needed. The ambassadors would also liaise with law enforcement and help ensure riders follow transit system rules, the legislation said.
Under the proposal, the CTA board would move away from a seven-member structure with a majority appointed by the mayor to six members, with half appointed by the mayor and others appointed by the governor and Cook County Board president.
The proposed makeup of the NITA board would also newly allow the governor to appoint five people, in addition to existing members of the RTA board that are currently appointed by the Cook County Board president, the mayor of Chicago and the collar counties. Many members of the CTA, Metra and Pace boards would also serve on the NITA board.
The bill also charges NITA — the newly named and empowered RTA — with setting fares and schedules 'so that the public transportation system in the metropolitan region operates on a one-network, one-timetable, one-ticket model for transit users.'
Specifically, the NITA in coordination with the boards would need to implement by February 2030 a single payment system for the region. Currently, CTA uses a different fare system than Metra.
The RTA has previously said the ability to integrate fares, and keep them relatively low, will depend on whether the state addresses the expected financial shortfall at the end of this year, which the legislation being considered so far does not address.
At an unrelated event at the Illinois State Library in Springfield, Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters he only briefly saw the new bill but said his focus is the importance of addressing the governance issues.
'People should be able to get on a bus, a train, transit of any sort, and not have to worry about which ticket they have and the transfers that they may need to make and think about what the services are that RTA or that CTA are providing,' he said. 'They should just be able to get on and go where they want to go. And that has not been happening with the governance that we've had up to now.'
In a statement, RTA spokesperson Tina Fassett Smith said the agency was still reviewing the legislation and intended to do a 'complete analysis' before making public statements about its substance.
'It is clear from initial review however, that this bill does not contain any new funding,' she said. 'Reforms alone cannot close our fiscal cliff, and riders will need to brace for service cuts in 2026 if the state does not provide funding certainty by May 31st.'
Representatives for the CTA, Metra and Pace did not provide comment on the legislation Wednesday.
It's not clear yet if lawmakers will address the funding concerns before the end of the spring legislative session on Saturday.
But in an interview, Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, which has helped lead a coalition of labor groups heavily involved in the transit negotiations, said the organization would not back a bill that doesn't come with funding for transit.
'Revenue and reform go hand and hand,' Drea said.
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