The General Assembly adjourned last evening after passing the State budget, however they failed to pass any pension reforms. Following adjournment, the Governor announced that he would be meeting with the legislative leaders to agree on a pension reform bill prior to calling the House and Senate back later this summer.
We were closely following the budget bills that contained funding for CMAP through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) budget as part of the $6 million for metropolitan planning and research, which eventually passed as part of SB 2474. IDOT was also granted an additional $2.4 billion in bonding authority as part of HB 4568 to help fund the remaining projects that are part of the Illinois Jobs Now! capital program. Additionally, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Sustainability bill SB 1566 did not receive the 3/5 vote that was required for passage because the bill was called after May 31, 2012. Please see our recent Policy Update for more information on IDNR funding.
Staff is working on a complete summary report of this year's legislative session that will be shared next week as part of the CMAP Board materials.