>> Illinois lawmakers signed off on a sweeping 1.5 billion dollar transit package that reshaped how CTA Metra and pace are run and funded.

The plan creates the new northern Illinois Transit authority to oversee the transit agencies which critics say have long failed to coordinate their service and meet writer needs the measure also fills looming budget gaps by redirecting 860 million dollars in motor fuel sales tax to transit using some 200 million dollars in interest from the state's road fund and raising nearly 480 million dollars through a quarter percent.

Rta sales tax sales tax hike, rather in the Chicago area.

Lawmakers say the overhaul is needed to keep trains and buses running as federal COVID aid rise up and ridership remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Joining us to discuss more are state Senator Ron believe chair of the state Senate Transportation Committee believe is a Democrat who represents much of the West Ridge neighborhood.

State Representative Dina Delgado, whose constituents makeup Westside neighborhoods like Austin, Belmont, Craigan and Portage Park.

On Zoom.

We have state Senator Don DeWitt, the Republican spokesperson for the Transportation Committee.

He represents Saint Charles as well as state Representative Travis Weaver representing Peoria.

Thank you all for joining us tonight.

We appreciate Senator, limit like to start with you.

You know, this bill passed in the small hours of the morning, but it came after years of negotiations.

Multiple versions of the bill you've talked about not just preventing the fiscal cliff.

The system was facing that really trying to transform the system.

How do you feel about where you landed on revenue?

Is there sufficient money coming in to be able to do that?

Absolutely.

We took what the Chicago much putting CM planning did in their report.

>> Convening stakeholders meeting reported Charles Hunley.

The governor, he took over 40 hours of testimony from constituents, stakeholders, municipal leaders put that all together in legislation that had robust reforms to address the lack of integration to the silos that exist terms of service plans and capital plans and so much more.

And we also provided that transformational investment of 1.5 billion dollars to ensure that we have a safe, reliable, accessible system for several decades to come, because that was always the goal to make sure we're not just doing a Band-Aid solution, preparing ourselves for a world class system for the future.

>> Senator, do with this deal, you know, avoided some of the proposed revenue streams that had gotten pushback, things like taxes.

For online deliveries are new speed cameras among others.

What's your reaction how transit will be funded under this new measure?

>> Well, Tom, thanks for having First of all, I think the package that has put been put together will be sufficient ends resolving issues that been in place for quite some time that have caused a lot of grief and aggravation for legislators in Springfield, as well as the transit riders here across the Chicago Metropolitan Area.

I represent an area in the western suburbs.

3 of my counties k McHenry DuPage are all members of the RTA region.

Out here in the western suburbs.

We from the very beginning, felt very strongly about equity in voting for the Collin County members of the RTA region and equality and how those revenues were going to be generated in order to solve this fiscal cliff.

The cliff of eventually dropped to a little over 200 million dollars.

Within the last 30 days.

There's close to a billion and a half dollars in new revenue that are being generated as part of this process.

A lot of that money is to start improving the system that we already have to make it more cohesive to make it safer.

We feel that the revenue stream that little bit too strong and a little bit too emphasis was put on taxpayers.

They took some of our Republicans on our side of the aisle felt numbers like the road fund tax where there's significant dollars sitting in that fund with interest being We appreciate the fact that those dollars were taken.

There was other sources of a couple of 100 more million dollars from governor's rainy day fund.

Those were Pope road.

No one was interested in pursuing that aspect.

So I on balance, it's not bad.

But I think suburban shareholders through tollway revenues and through the RTA increase that will be coming down the pike in another year.

I he's done a good job to create a revenue stream that hopefully can get the job done to provide the system.

>> Representative Delgado, some of your Republican colleagues toward the end of the session asked you to hold off, perhaps it, you know, start talking again in January because this bill is somewhat complex and as a senator to it mentioned, because the the fiscal cliff estimate had been lowered.

Why did you think it was urgent to get it passed during the veto session?

>> think there's a couple of really important things that need to be focused on.

We talk about the timing.

I think sometimes people talk about numbers on a spreadsheet and thank that.

While this isn't something that's urgent.

Well, when you've lived through service cuts before, you know that that's really impactful.

You're talking about people's jobs because that means that folks are going be getting pink slips.

But it also was important for us to think about the pair transit system.

And I think that often gets forgotten in these conversations, the rep and tap program which stands for Rideshare Access Program and Taxi Access Program.

Those programs that were on the chopping block that we're going to go away in April if we didn't do something right away.

And so making sure that we take care of some of those populations that rely the most on transit and also thinking about how do we prepare a transit agencies to be able to put forth the best possible service in the coming >> Representative Weaver, you know, with this bill will have 15% of that gas tax money.

10 1% of the road fund interest directed downstate, you know, certainly a large portion of the population here in northeastern Illinois.

Do you think that's a fair split where things ended up?

>> No, I absolutely do not.

And it's interesting discussion to be having.

Now after in the previous segment we heard Governor Pritzker talk about how he says the Democrats win with a focus on affordability.

Well, Illinois Democrats just took a 200 million dollar problem and threw 2.5 billion dollars.

And I don't know how that create affordability for people here in Illinois and people that I represent and the greater pure area got absolutely robbed on this.

Historically, the road funds foot has been about 55% downstate 45% for Chicago.

And now that 85%, Chicago only 15% for downstate where the vast majority of our road miles or I, I would guess off.

90% of our road mileage probably is in downstate districts like my Yeah.

We're going to getting 15% of that road fund from the sales tax.

So it's really a sad day.

It's really unfortunate that people that I represent were robbed the of 1.1 billion dollars.

I understand the need absolutely do.

And especially for Representative Delgado is senator, though the to want to support this because it helps the people that they represent.

But at at the cost of the people that I represent, I could never imagine asking the people of Chicago to bail out Peoria's Citylink bus system.

I would never ask that.

You are never expected.

I would expect that people their ride that it supported in the community to be on the hook for funding So I think it was really enforce a really sad.

It's another reason we have so much to visit and the state.

When you see the people in downstate the Phillies with a program like this to bail out Chicago land without any operating boost.

There's no fix for overtime.

There's no I dress in the low fares and have not been raised in the last 15 years.

Nothing to address crime on the tracks.

That's where we should have started come into the piggy Downstate Illinois >> Representative senator, you know about that, the the criticism that the central and southern Illinois communities are effectively subsidizing local transit.

>> With all due respect to the representative could not be more false.

One, the original request an operational dollars from downstate transit agencies was 80 million and operational funding.

We put 129 Million.

Plus another 20 million in capital funding.

Number 2, we fully funded a quad cities to Chicago rail project that they have been working on for decades at that to the tune of 475 million dollars.

also funded the next phase in a project from Peoria to Julia to Chicago, interconnectivity as part of this process.

So to say that we have not included funding for downstate Transit for all.

54 down say transit issues that serve 95 counties.

His false number one, number 2.

Cliff number of 200 million except fare increases and also a cut to the wrap and tap program that people with disabilities rely on.

I don't accept that.

I believe we need to certain stabilize the system prior requiring any fare increases.

And we cannot reduce service for people disabilities.

On top of that, we are asking them the new agency to make sure we introduce a new comprehensive safety strategy smarter connectivity that all costs money.

So to say that the clip was 200 million and then put more mandates without and then except fare increases cuts to people disabilities is not something that we did and will never do.

And that's why we passed a bill that we did with the bipartisan support and super majorities.

>> Senator, do it.

You know, you mentioned the governance structure here.

This new board has 5 directors appointed by the governor, 5 by the mayor, 5 by Cook County Board.

President fined by the collar County Board executives.

You know, supporters Chicago and Cook County.

That's where a majority of the rides are happening with.

What's your reaction to the government's there?

>> Well, our concern regarding governance has to do more with the fact that 19 of these new 20 need to board seats.

The northern Illinois Transit agency seats will be appointed by Democrats.

More importantly, and more significantly majority voting requirements that currently exist, that the RTA here in Chicago.

I was in our team member for 5 years from 2013 to 2018.

All of their action requires a two-thirds majority vote in any aspect regarding capital requires a 75% vote.

Those requirements are now out the window.

There is language that will give 15 members.

In our view and perspective.

Signed by the mayor, the county board president and the governor, 15 of those members will now be able to dictate to the suburbs.

What are fair schedules are going to look like what our service levels are going to look like.

And they're going to be able to take those dollars that currently funds suburban Metra and Pace bus service and divert them were really want them to go.

We believe the majority of that money is going to end up in Chicago to bail out the CTA that has exhibited nothing but fiscal malfeasance for decades.

They haven't touched their fare structure since 2018.

And now miraculously, when people start talking about fare increases being part of solving the fiscal cliff issue.

What what comes out of the bill affair freeze until after the next election.

Not to mention the fact that total increases are not going to be implemented.

That's going to fund capital for the tollway system.

I understand.

it's going to freeze those increases until after the election.

So none of our friends in the city are going to have to answer the question.

Why are you raising taxes on residents of Chicago?

>> Representative Bell about 20 seconds left, but I think it when we made these appointments when we decided what this was going to look like in terms of the need to board representation.

We wanted to make sure that we were creating those appointments based on office is not on people.

>> In the future, we can't predict what's going to happen, but we wanted to the appointment structure.

Similarly to what we have done with see map in the past.

worked very well in see map.

And so we think this is a great way for us to remake the transit agencies.

All right.

Well, much more to talk about in the coming months.

But for