McCombie on Transit: Downstate Left Paying for a Broken Process

After Governor JB Pritzker signed the $2.5 billion transit reform proposal into law this morning, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie released the following statement:

"Downstate Illinois is being forced to bail out Chicago's broken transit system.

"This law permanently diverts more than $1 billion every year from the Road Fund, money that was constitutionally promised to fix roads and bridges and sends it to prop up transit operations driven by years of mismanagement. This is one of the largest Road Fund diversions in Illinois history, along with tollway surcharges and sales tax hikes that will hit families and workers statewide.

"Roads and bridges are not optional, and the promises made to voters through the Safe Roads Constitutional Amendment should not be broken to rescue Chicago transit from years of bad management.

"Illinois families deserve accountability, not another backroom bailout."