Illinois lawmakers' Spring Session deadline looms, transit funding still unresolved
The final countdown is on in Springfield — where lawmakers have until the end of the week to tackle issues from the Illinois General Assembly's Spring Session.
The state budget for the next fiscal year must be tackled by May 31. There are still no answers on how the state will handle transit reform and funding — and if nothing is done on that front by the end of the week, there could be a 40% reduction in mass transit services in Chicago.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have signed several bills that are stacking up on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's desk awaiting his signature this Memorial Day.
One such bill, Anna's Law, requires special training for police officers across Illinois to better address how law enforcement engages with sex assault victims — part of a larger effort to prevent those in vulnerable positions from being retraumatized.
Officers will be specially trained on how to speak with those victims.
Senate Bill 1563 addresses the squatter problem in Illinois, making it easier for police to remove squatters from someone's home — bypassing the months-long eviction process. Right now, squatters can stay at the property during the required court process.
Another bill, Senate Bill 1491, will increase the number of therapy dogs during times of crisis — creating a course and certification program for therapy dog teams so dogs can specialize in crisis and emergency response.
This will allow a police officer to respond to an incident, at any given time, with a therapy dog.
Dillon's Law — named after Dillon Mueller, who died in 2014 after an allergic reaction to a bee sting — allows people who are trained to carry and administer epinephrine to those having an allergic reaction.
This week is poised to be even busier for state lawmakers, as it is closing time for the Spring Session and those lawmakers are on deadline.
Transit funding, again, is still on the line right now — and down to the wire with drastic service cuts looming.
"It is a lot of details and moving parts, so it's taking longer than I think folks expected," said Amy Rynell, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance. "It's really important that this all get resolved by the end of May 31, when the session ends, so that we can have confidence moving forward in the system that the money is going to be there to keep it strong."
As CBS News Chicago has been reporting for months, the Regional Transportation Authority — which oversees the CTA, Metra and Pace suburban buses — is facing a fiscal cliff in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
If no action is taken, the CTA has said it would be forced to close 50 'L,' stations, lose more than 70 miles of rail service, and eliminate more than half its bus routes. The CTA has not yet said anything about which specific 'L' and bus lines and 'L' stops would be affected.
Meanwhile, Metra would suffer a 40% reduction in service, and Pace is threatening to eliminate all service after 8 p.m. and all weekend rides.
"So I think there's still hope for fixing it and funding it," said Rynell. "But a lot of, you know, late nights ahead to make that happen."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that his staff is rushing to secure funding for the CTA in the event of the worst-case scenario. He said they have "some room" to delay a solution, but not much.
We're "going to have to have a fully funded, well-supported transit system — safe, affordable and reliable," Johnson said, "and again, there's no secret that we have to move with some expediency to ensure that the funding is there. Again, the timing of it all, probably some room there — not very much, though.
Saturday is the deadline to pass a budget for the next fiscal year with a simple majority. After that, lawmakers need a three-fifths majority to approve a budget. However, some state lawmakers have said transit agencies can wait until the Illinois General Assembly's fall veto session to address their funding needs.
