Pritzker: State not responsible for fixing transit crisis alone
Bailing out public transit from a $771 million hole should not fall entirely on state government, Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.
Federal COVID-19 aid for Metra, Pace and the CTA dries up in 2026, and 40% service cuts are anticipated if no rescue from the so-called “fiscal cliff” emerges.
“It’s not a state budget issue … it’s really a separate matter entirely,” Pritzker noted at a bill signing in Chicago.
“I’d also like to point out there are a lot of contributors to the solution, here. I know there are people who say: ‘Well, this is the cliff, and here’s the amount of money, and what is the state going to do to fill that gap?’
“The answer is not that the state is solely responsible for filling that gap,” Pritzker said. “There are lots of sources … the counties where their residents who are affected, the city of Chicago, Cook County, too, and the riders themselves, as well as efficiencies that need to be brought to the system.
“And, you have to put all that together and determine really how much money, really, the state should be putting forward.”
The state Senate passed a bill May 31 replacing the Regional Transportation Authority with a new entity, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, which would have greater authority over the three agencies.
But the legislation was shelved in the House amid concerns about new taxes and fees, such as a $1.50 charge on many online home deliveries.
“Funding does not run out until Dec. 31,” House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said Monday. “We’re back in session in October for veto session. We have time — we’re going to continue to do our part.
“We’re close on reforms but we’re not there yet,” Welch added. “We want to continue to address what we’re hearing from commuters, we want to address ridership concerns, we want to address safety, we want to address management issues.
“It’s important to go slow and get it right, rather than go fast and get it wrong.”
But sooner is better than last-minute, St. Charles Republican Sen. Don DeWitte said Tuesday during a City Club of Chicago forum.
Lawmakers are currently in talks about the transit crisis, which makes a special session this summer feasible, he explained.
“I don’t want to get to October and have a bill thrown on our lap — take it or leave it,” said DeWitte, Senate Transportation Committee minority spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the RTA is directing Metra, Pace and the CTA to develop two separate budgets — one for a worst-case scenario and a second that assumes funding is resolved.