Bill Text: IL HB0253 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Enrolled

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code. Requires the Department of Transportation to develop and publish a statewide multi-modal transportation improvement program for all transportation facilities under its jurisdiction and outlines the methods for developing the program. Requires the Department to develop a needs-based transit asset management plan for State-supported public transportation assets and make the plan publicly available on the Department's website. Requires the Department to develop a performance-based project selection process to prioritize taxpayer investment in State-owned transportation assets that add capacity, with input from specified stakeholders. Requires a summary of the project evaluation process, measures, program, and scores for all candidate projects to be published on the Department website in a timely manner. Amends the Regional Transportation Authority Act. Requires the Regional Transportation Authority to develop a transparent prioritization process for Northeastern Illinois transit projects receiving State capital funding. Requires a summary of the project evaluation process, measures, program, and scores or prioritization criteria for all candidate projects to be published on the Authority's website in a timely manner. Provides that, starting April 1, 2022, no project shall be included in the 5-year capital program, or amendments to that program, without being evaluated under the selection process. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-1)

Status: (Passed) 2021-08-24 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0573 [HB0253 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-HB0253-Enrolled.html

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AN ACT concerning transportation.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Department of Transportation Law of the
Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding
Section 2705-203 as follows:
(20 ILCS 2705/2705-203 new)
Sec. 2705-203. Transportation asset management plan and
performance-based programming.
(a) The General Assembly declares it to be in the public
interest that a project prioritization process be developed
and implemented to: improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of the State's transportation system and transportation
safety; enhance movement and multi-modal connections of people
and goods; mitigate environmental impacts; and promote
inclusive economic growth throughout the State.
(b) In accordance with Section 2705-200, the Department of
Transportation shall develop and publish a statewide
multi-modal transportation improvement program for all
transportation facilities under its jurisdiction. The
development of the program shall use the following methods:
(1) use transportation system information to make
investment and policy decisions to achieve statewide and

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regional performance goals established in the State's
long-range transportation plan;
(2) ensure transportation investment decisions emerge
from an objective and quantifiable technical analysis;
(3) evaluate the need and financial support necessary
for maintaining, expanding, and modernizing existing
transportation infrastructure;
(4) ensure that all State transportation funds
invested are directed to support progress toward the
achievement of performance targets established in the
State's long-range transportation plan;
(5) make investment decisions transparent and
accessible to the public;
(6) consider emissions and increase infrastructure
resilience to climate change; and
(7) reduce disparities in transportation system
performance experienced by racially marginalized
communities, low-income to moderate-income consumers, and
other disadvantaged groups and populations identified
under the Environmental Justice Act.
(c) The Department shall develop a risk-based, statewide
highway system asset management plan in accordance with 23
U.S.C. 119 and 23 CFR Part 515 to preserve and improve the
condition of highway and bridge assets and enhance the
performance of the system while minimizing the life-cycle
cost. The asset management plan shall be made publicly

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available on the Department's website.
(d) The Department shall develop a needs-based transit
asset management plan for State-supported public
transportation assets, including vehicles, facilities,
equipment, and other infrastructure in accordance with 49 CFR
Part 625. The goal of the transit asset management plan is to
preserve and modernize capital transit assets that will
enhance the performance of the transit system. Federally
required transit asset management plans developed by the
Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) or service boards, as
defined in Section 1.03 of the Regional Transportation
Authority Act, shall become the transportation asset
management plans for all public transportation assets owned
and operated by the service boards. The Department's transit
asset management plan shall be made publicly available on the
Department's website. The RTA shall be responsible for making
public transit asset management plans for its service area
publicly available.
(e) The Department shall develop a performance-based
project selection process to prioritize taxpayer investment in
State-owned transportation assets that add capacity. The goal
of the process is to select projects through an evaluation
process. This process shall provide the ability to prioritize
projects based on geographic regions. The Department shall
solicit input from localities, metropolitan planning
organizations, transit authorities, transportation

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authorities, representatives of labor and private businesses,
the public, community-based organizations, and other
stakeholders in its development of the prioritization process
pursuant to this subsection.
The selection process shall include a defined public
process by which candidate projects are evaluated and
selected. The process shall include both a quantitative
analysis of the evaluation factors and qualitative review by
the Department. The Department may apply different weights to
the performance measures based on regional geography or
project type. Projects selected as part of the process will be
considered for inclusion in the State's multi-year
transportation program and the annual element of the
multi-year program. Starting April 1, 2022, no new capacity
project shall be included in the multi-year transportation
plan or annual element without being evaluated under the
selection process described in this Section. Existing projects
in the multi-year highway improvement program may be included
regardless of the outcome of using the performance-based
project selection tool. The policies that guide the
performance-based project selection process shall be derived
from State and regional long-range transportation plans. The
Department shall certify that it is making progress toward the
goals included in the State's long-range transportation plan.
All plan and program development based on the project
selection process described in this subsection shall include

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consideration of regional balance. The selection process shall
be based on an objective and quantifiable analysis that
considers, at a minimum, the goals identified in the
long-range transportation plan and shall:
(1) consider emissions and increase infrastructure
resilience due to climate change; and
(2) reduce disparities in transportation system
performance experienced by racially marginalized
communities, low-income to moderate-income consumers, and
other disadvantaged groups and populations identified
under the Environmental Justice Act.
(f) The prioritization process developed under subsection
(e) may apply only to State jurisdiction projects and not to:
(1) projects funded by the Congestion Mitigation and
Air Quality Improvement funds apportioned to the State
pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 104(b)(4) and State matching funds;
(2) projects funded by the Highway Safety Improvement
Program funds apportioned to the State pursuant to 23
U.S.C. 104(b)(3) and State matching funds;
(3) projects funded by the Transportation Alternatives
funds set-aside pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 133(h) and State
matching funds;
(4) projects funded by the National Highway Freight
Program pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 167 and State matching
funds;
(5) funds to be allocated to urban areas based on

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population under federal law; and
(6) any new federal program that requires competitive
selection, distribution to local public agencies, or
specific eligibility.
(g) A summary of the project evaluation process, measures,
program, and scores for all candidate projects shall be
published on the Department website in a timely manner.
Section 10. The Regional Transportation Authority Act is
amended by adding Section 2.39 as follows:
(70 ILCS 3615/2.39 new)
Sec. 2.39. Prioritization process for Northeastern
Illinois transit projects.
(a) The Authority shall develop a transparent
prioritization process for Northeastern Illinois transit
projects receiving State capital funding. The prioritization
process must consider, at a minimum: (1) access to key
destinations such as jobs, retail, healthcare, and recreation,
(2) reliability improvement, (3) capacity needs, (4) safety,
(5) state of good repair, (6) racial equity and mobility
justice, and (7) economic development. All State capital
funding awards shall be made by the Regional Transportation
Authority in accordance with the prioritization process. An
appropriate public input process shall be established. The
Authority shall make a report to the General Assembly each

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year describing the prioritization process and its use in
funding awards.
(b) A summary of the project evaluation process, measures,
program, and scores or prioritization criteria for all
candidate projects shall be published on the Authority's
website in a timely manner.
(c) Starting April 1, 2022, no project shall be included
in the 5-year capital program, or amendments to that program,
without being evaluated under the selection process described
in this Section.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.