Lawmakers approve $1.5B transit funding package without statewide tax increases

SPRINGFIELD – State lawmakers approved new funding for public transportation agencies without large statewide tax increases previously proposed.

Instead, the measure would be fueled by revenue sources that currently feed the state’s Road Fund and an increased sales tax targeted to the Chicago area.

The bill frustrated some lawmakers outside the Chicago area because of provisions that reroute money from the broader funding source of infrastructure projects.

The House voted 72-33 to pass Senate bill 2111 around 2:15 a.m. on Friday with only Democrats supporting the plan.

“That system has been running on borrowed time,” bill sponsor Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, said. “Fragmented governance, uneven investment and post-COVID ridership losses have left transit struggling with unreliable