During the 98^th Illinois General Assembly's spring session that adjourned on May 31, 2013, CMAP followed a broad range of issues affecting residents and communities throughout the region. Among the thousands of bills proposed, CMAP tracked the progress of over 300 bills that are relevant to the implementation of GO TO 2040 or are of interest to our partners. CMAP's 2013 State Legislative Framework and Agenda articulate the agency's priorities. The following Policy Update reviews some of the session's top issues and key pieces of legislation.

State Fiscal Policy and Pensions
CMAP closely monitored pension and budget discussions this spring because the State's pension-related financial crisis continues to hamstring its ability to adequately fund a wide variety of services and projects, including infrastructure maintenance, modernization, and expansion in the region.

The General Assembly approved a Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget with approximately $35.4 billion in general revenue funds, up from FY 2013's $33.7 billion. Later this summer, CMAP will issue an analysis of the enacted FY 2014 state budget and its impacts on metropolitan Chicago.

CMAP monitored two state agency budgets: the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The IDOT budget totaled approximately $5.2 billion (House Bill 215). The appropriation includes $6 million from the Road Fund for "metropolitan planning and research purposes," which is granted to the metropolitan planning organizations (MPO). Last year, CMAP received $3.5 million from this line item.

While legislators were able to pass a budget before adjournment, they were unsuccessful in enacting comprehensive pension reform. Select members of the General Assembly were recently appointed to a conference committee to consider Senate Bill 1. Public pressure to act on the looming crisis has increased. As a direct result of the General Assembly's inability to pass comprehensive pension reform, credit ratings agencies issued a series of downgrades -- Moody's dropped the State's rating twice to A3, Fitch Ratings downgraded Illinois to A- from A, and Standard & Poor's listed Illinois on negative outlook. Compounded by the tumultuous municipal bond market, Illinois now has the dubious distinction of the lowest credit rating of any state in the nation, which can result in very costly financing.

Legislation Impacting CMAP
This session, several measures affected CMAP directly. In March, the Governor issued Executive Order 1303 to create a steering committee and state agency taskforce to guide and implement the Millennium Reserve: Calumet Core Initiative. CMAP will serve on the steering committee, as described in a recent Policy Update.

Two other measures directed at CMAP did not pass. HB 3199, which made it to third reading in the Illinois Senate, would have required the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability to hold a hearing within 30 days after the Governor's Budget Address to consider CMAP's annual report and its impact on the State budget. The Transportation Modernization Act (SB 1594) would have merged the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and CMAP, calling for the formation of a transition committee to develop detailed plans to integrate staff and operations. The measure was held on third reading in the Senate.

Successful Legislation Supported by CMAP
CMAP actively supported several bills that had a particularly strong alignment with GO TO 2040. For instance, the plan calls for encouraging watershed planning and stormwater infrastructure retrofits. HB 1522, which was sent to the Governor, allows DuPage and Peoria Counties to consider the adoption of a stormwater utility in place of a property tax to fund flood control projects, construction of facilities, and mandated water quality programs. A recently published CMAP report analyzes the value of stormwater utilities.

The Elgin-O'Hare Western Access (EOWA) project is one of five new major capital projects recommended in GO TO 2040. House Joint Resolution 9, adopted by both chambers in May 2013, authorizes the Illinois Tollway to move forward with the project.

GO TO 2040 calls for increased coordination between government agencies and transparency of data and decision making. DuPage County successfully advocated for SB 494, which establishes a process for the County to propose the dissolution of a local government via an ordinance (excluding fire protection districts with more than three employees). The bill only applies to local governments whose boundaries are entirely contained within DuPage. The DuPage County Board Chair appoints a majority of the governing board that will make dissolution proposals.

The region's comprehensive plan also calls for the state to make open space land acquisition and development match requirements more equitable. SB 1341 directly carries out that recommendation by reducing the local match requirement for Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) program grants from 50 percent to 10 percent for communities defined as "distressed" (by rules to be promulgated by IDNR). Grants can be used for the acquisition of open space lands, as well as capital development and improvement proposals approved.

State Capital Bill and Performance-Based Funding
Just days before adjournment, two bills (HB 3637 and SB 2589) were filed that address a new approach to transportation funding. The bills surfaced from a Transportation for Illinois Coalition (TFIC) proposal, which recommends swapping the existing motor fuel tax with a flat wholesale tax on gasoline, as well as reforming other components of the transportation funding process. CMAP has closely followed TFIC's proposal and analyzed its suggested changes to the motor fuel sales tax. CMAP remains engaged in discussions about this bill and will continue to analyze the proposal's potential impacts on metropolitan Chicago.

GO TO 2040 recommends that transportation funding decisions be based on transparent evaluation criteria and calls on the region's transportation stakeholders to develop and utilize the necessary performance measures, as highlighted in a new CMAP microsite on performance-based funding. This spring, HB 1549 proposed steps towards that goal. The bill would compel IDOT to implement an expanded approach to performance-based programming, first by establishing a Technical Advisory Board, as described in a Policy Update.

Up Next…
For additional information on legislative activities, staff memos to the CMAP Board in February, March, May, and June provide a detailed account of the issues CMAP has followed. The memos provide a month-by-month overview of other proposed legislation, including bills that stalled. Over the summer, CMAP's Policy Updates blog will provide additional information on enacted legislation and pension talks.