{"id":2520923,"date":"2025-12-13T16:33:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T21:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/il-dem-touts-great-job-on-transit-gop-candidate-laments-bailout-for-chicago\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T16:37:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T21:37:31","slug":"il-dem-touts-great-job-on-transit-gop-candidate-laments-bailout-for-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/il-dem-touts-great-job-on-transit-gop-candidate-laments-bailout-for-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"IL Dem touts &#8216;great job&#8217; on transit, GOP candidate laments &#8216;bailout&#8217; for Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fil-dem-touts-great-job-on-transit-gop-candidate-laments-bailout-for-chicago%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2520923&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A proposed Illinois bill, Senate Bill 2111, aims to address a looming transit funding shortfall by increasing taxes and tolls starting in 2026, pending Governor JB Pritzker&#8217;s approval. The legislation would raise tolls on Illinois highways, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >divert gas tax revenues<\/a> from road funding to public transit, and allow the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) to increase sales taxes in Chicago-area counties.Supporters, including State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, argue the plan is fair and necessary to prevent drastic impacts on families while improving transit governance through the creation of a new oversight board. Tho, Republican candidate Ajay Gupta and other critics condemn the bill as a bailout for Chicago&#8217;s struggling transit system, citing concerns over safety issues and fiscal mismanagement at the Chicago transit Authority (CTA). The federal government has recently pressured the CTA to reduce violence and improve safety on its buses and trains, warning that failure to do so may result in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/notre-dame-undermines-catholic-mission-in-pursuit-of-dei\/\" title=\"Notre Dame Undermines Catholic Mission In Pursuit Of DEI\">federal funding cuts<\/a>. SB 2111 is set to take effect on June 1, 2026, if signed into law.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">IL Dem touts &lsquo;great job&rsquo; on transit, GOP candidate laments &lsquo;bailout&rsquo; for Chicago<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2443384\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square)&nbsp;&ndash; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/taxes\/\">Taxes<\/a> and tolls will rise for many <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/illinois\/\">Illinoisans<\/a> in 2026 if Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jb-pritzker-2\/\">JB Pritzker<\/a> signs legislation to fund <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/public-transportation\/\">public transportation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocNum=2111&amp;GAID=18&amp;DocTypeID=SB&amp;LegId=161644&amp;SessionID=114\">Senate Bill 2111<\/a>&nbsp;went to the governor&rsquo;s desk on Nov. 25. Pritzker said he looked forward to signing the bill after the General Assembly passed it early Halloween morning.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/3914297\/muriel-bowser-ntsb-chairwoman-dc-airspace-provision-ndaa-potomac-crash\/\">Bowser and NTSB chairwoman rip &#8216;shameful&#8217; DC airspace provision in NDAA following Potomac crash<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/3914181\/gov-ferguson-request-disaster-declaration-fema-flood\/\">Gov. Ferguson requests disaster declaration from FEMA for devastating floods<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/3912416\/utah-spencer-cox-budget-homeless-shelter\/\">Utah governor asks for $45 million in budget proposal to run planned homeless shelter<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>SB 2111, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, raises tolls on Illinois tollways, takes gas tax money from the state&rsquo;s road fund to fund public transit, and allows the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-school-districts-seek-sales-tax-dollars-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Illinois school districts seek sales tax dollars - Washington Examiner\">raise sales taxes<\/a> by a quarter of a percent in Chicago-area counties.<\/p>\n<p>The package passed after more than two years of discussion centered around a roughly $770 million transit &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-smart-gop-lawmakers-should-handle-2025s-fiscal-cliff\/\" title=\"How Smart GOP Lawmakers Should Handle 2025&#039;s &#039;Fiscal Cliff&#039;\">fiscal cliff&#038;rdquo<\/a>; looming in 2026, but the number was revised last summer to around $250 million.<\/p>\n<p>A previous transit-funding effort failed to clear the Illinois House during the 2025 spring session, in part due to a $1.50 retail delivery tax that Democratic lawmakers sought to impose on Illinois consumers.<\/p>\n<p>State Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora) said she was in the House transit working group and believes the legislation is fair to suburbanites who expressed concerns.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Of course, the funding portion was a big component of it, and I think we did a great job. It didn&rsquo;t impact families as much as it could have,&rdquo; Hernandez told The Center Square.<\/p>\n<p>Ajay Gupta is a Republican candidate for the Illinois House seat currently held by Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville.<\/p>\n<p>Gupta said SB 2111 was a terrible idea, especially for his district in DuPage and Will counties.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Voices there are being sidelined, and consumers there are being asked to bail out a failing Chicago system,&rdquo; Gupta told The Center Square.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the funding provided by the transit package is slated to be directed to the Chicago Transit Authority. The agency has drawn criticism in recent weeks for a series of violent incidents and a lack of overall safety.<\/p>\n<p>The Federal Transit Administration wrote to Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson last Monday, demanding that the CTA &ldquo;develop and implement a plan to measurably reduce assaults on transit workers and passengers and address unsafe conditions that have contributed to increased crime on CTA&rsquo;s bus and rail system.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Failure to act, Federal Transit Administrator Marc Molinaro warned, could result in the withholding of federal funds.<\/p>\n<p>CTA fiscal management has also raised questions. The Red Line rail extension project on Chicago&rsquo;s South Side had an estimated cost of $5.75 billion for 5.5 miles of track before President Donald Trump&rsquo;s administration froze funding and targeted it for federal review.<\/p>\n<p>Gupta agreed with House Republicans who opposed the transit package, saying it was a bailout for Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No more money until the malfeasance and mis-governance is addressed first,&rdquo; Gupta said.<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez insisted that SB 2111 would improve governance.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I believe so. It&rsquo;s going to change everything. It&rsquo;s going to change the whole governance portion of it. It&rsquo;s going to create a new board. It&rsquo;s going to create new policy in that board that will provide more accountability,&rdquo; Hernandez said.<\/p>\n<p>When first introduced, SB 2111 provided that a person operating a bicycle on Illinois roadways &ldquo;shall not be prohibited from side-by-side riding, riding contraflow on one-way streets, and rolling through stop signs at clear intersections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3917106\/illinois-legalizes-physician-assisted-suicide-critics-warn\/\">ILLINOIS LEGALIZES PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE; CRITICS WARN OF MORAL, SAFETY RISKS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The language was removed during the fall veto session and replaced with the transit package text that passed Oct. 31.<\/p>\n<p>SB 2111 will take effect on June 1, 2026, if the governor signs it into law.<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecentersquare.com%2Fillinois%2Farticle_bd684eb0-e058-4590-a5a0-ffeed48dda8d.html%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IL Dem praises transit bill; GOP calls it Chicago bailout<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2869,"featured_media":2520924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/chicago-migrants-bus-texas-1.webp?w=650","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6413,5894,68777],"class_list":["post-2520923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-illinois","tag-politics","tag-transit-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/chicago-migrants-bus-texas-1.webp?w=650","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2520923"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2520927,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520923\/revisions\/2520927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2520924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2520923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2520923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2520923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}