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Mass Transit Update
At long last, I am pleased to report to you that the
mass transit crisis in the Chicagoland region is
behind us. A sustainable, long term funding source has been enacted so
that Metra, Pace and the CTA can stop planning for
cuts and start moving forward (literally!).
The House and the Senate recently voted to accept the
Governor’s Amendatory Veto of the legislation we previously
adopted. That action is final so the bill now becomes law. A
small addition to the sales tax will go into effect that allows the Regional
Transit Authority (RTA) to fund all operations at their existing level.
There are also significant reforms for the CTA pension and health care
systems that will save millions of dollars going forward.
I’m sure you know by now that in addition, the
House took action with regard to the Governor’s proposal to provide
free rides for all seniors. In a separate piece of legislation, we
approved a change to his proposal which requires Metra,
Pace, and the CTA to provide free rides to seniors AND the disabled only if
their annual income is below a certain threshold. Currently, that
threshold is approximately $29,000 for a 2-person household. The Senate
did not immediately take action on this but there is still the possibility
that they will do so in the near future.
General Assembly Scholarships
I am pleased to announce the General Assembly
Scholarship applications are now available for those high school and college
students who are permanent residents of the 57th
district. The scholarships are offered
will cover one year of tuition at the
following state universities: University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign,
Chicago & Springfield), Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois
University, Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northern
Illinois University, Northeastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois
University, and Western Illinois University.
The deadline for applications is Friday, April 18,
2008. Each scholarship will be awarded to students enrolled in undergraduate,
graduate or professional curriculums. A volunteer Scholarship Committee
representing the 57th District community will evaluate applications and award
all scholarships. Applications are available at my website: www.repnekritz.org
or by calling my district office at (847) 257-0450.
The CN Purchase of the EJ&E Railroads
Anyone who lives in Des Plaines or has ever tried to
drive through Des Plaines is painfully aware that rail lines criss cross the City. It is almost impossible to
drive in Des Plaines without encountering a train.
One of the major lines that traverses
several northwest suburban Cook County communities, including Mount Prospect
and Des Plaines, is owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN).
Recently, the CN has announced that it is seeking to purchase another line
that runs on the outskirts of the Chicago metropolitan region – the
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway (EJ&E). The CN wants to take
train traffic off its existing line and move much of it to the
EJ&E. This could, for the short term, dramatically reduce train traffic
through Des Plaines and Mount Prospect. There is, however, a more
regional perspective to this potential acquisition that is important.
The Chicago region is the world’s fifth largest intermodal
freight hub (we used to be third not that long ago). The movement of
freight is a huge engine in our regional economy. But our rail and
truck traffic is so congested that it is reaching a breaking point.
While there are numerous questions still to be
answered about the impact of the CN/EJ&E purchase, the regional economic
impact cannot be lost in the fight over whether individual communities are
positively or negatively impacted. As Chair of the House Rail
Committee, I am watching this transaction very closely and participating in
the federal government hearings that will ultimately determine whether the
transaction moves ahead.
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