SPRINGFIELD — Minutes before the clock hit midnight and the calendar flipped to June 1, the Illinois Senate advanced a much-watched legislative proposal to reform and fund public transportation in the Chicago area and prevent dire cuts to service.

But Chicago Democrat Sen. Ram Villivalam’s Hail Mary attempt to avoid cuts was downed short of the end zone as opposition mounted to the bill’s revenue plan, particularly its creation of a $1.50 package delivery fee in the state. The House declined to take up the transit funding bill, as the stroke of midnight meant the chamber required a three-fifths majority vote to advance any legislation that would take effect before June 2026.

Chicago’s public transit agencies are now entering an uncertain future. Public hearings on service cuts could begi

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