On funding mass transit

I am writing regarding Illinois Senate Bill 572, which would have provided a long-term solution to the crisis facing mass transit in our region. Mass transit is one of the most critical issues facing us today because of its importance to the neighborhood, the city and the region.

People in our neighborhood rely on it to get to their jobs, to school, to doctors appointments, to shop and to socialize. Our retailers depend on it for their customers. Businesses depend on it to bring their employees to work. Transit is a lifeline for seniors and our disabled neighbors.

In creating SB572, the CTA, RTA, Metra and PACE made major concessions in governance and new efficiencies. The Amalgamated Transit Unions made unprecedented concessions in their pension and healthcare funds. These concessions by both management and labor, and agreements about governance, would have stabilized the system for the near future and eliminated the repeated threats of service cutbacks and doomsday scenarios.

 SB572 proposed an increase of 0.25 percent in the regional sales tax to support transit, mitigate congestion in the collar counties and some capital improvement monies. The bill also provided for the City of Chicago to increase its contribution to the operations of the CTA, either by adoption by the City Council of a real estate transfer tax or by other means.

I voted last week in the Illinois House Mass Transit Committee to recommend passage of SB572 to the full House. On Sept. 5 SB 572 came before the full House for a vote. I regret to tell you that due to lack of support from Republican members of the House, and with the governor’s threat of vetoing the bill, it did not pass.

Now we are faced with massive service cutbacks, fare increases and a destabilized pension and healthcare situation for the CTA.  I firmly believe that suburban/Republican members of the House do not understand what is at stake here. I am amazed that the governor continues to threaten to veto the legislation if it passes.

I will continue to work with our alderman, my fellow legislators and Speaker of the House Michael Madigan to push for legislation to fully fund the CTA and restore service to our community. We will be back in front of the General Assembly with new legislation as soon as possible.

Ill. state Rep. Gregory S. Harris

House District 13, Chicago

More on funding mass transit

The CTA is facing an impending budget shortfall that will require drastic cuts in service and a fare increase on September 16. I am writing to ask you to contact the governor and our state legislators to urge them to enact needed legislation to address the CTA’s funding crisis.

As you know, I was highly critical of CTA management under the leadership of former CTA President Frank Kruesi. While more reforms are needed, the CTA’s new president, Ron Huberman, has taken a number of important steps to get the CTA’s fiscal house in order, including $38 million in administrative cuts and securing agreements from labor unions to secure pension and health care reforms.

However, management reforms alone cannot eliminate the size of the current CTA budget deficit, which continues to grow because of a lack of critical state funding. One of our state legislators, state Rep. Julie Hamos, has spearheaded legislation that would put the CTA and other transit agencies on sound financial footing for years to come. Our other two state legislators, Reps. Harry Osterman and Lou Lang, supported her bill, but unfortunately the bill failed to pass the Illinois House of Representatives.

If the governor and General Assembly do not address the funding crisis this week, the CTA has announced it will increase fares anywhere from 50 cents to $1 on both bus and rail lines and eliminate 39 bus routes, including the 96 Lunt bus. These cuts will pose a tremendous hardship on transit riders throughout the Chicago area, including the 49th Ward where so many residents rely on public transit to get to their jobs and schools.

I will do everything in my power to minimize the effects of those cuts on our ward. But you can play a role, too. Please take the time to contact the governor and our state legislators to tell them how important public transit is to you.

Ald. Joe Moore

49th Ward, Chicago

On the governor’s budget vetoes

Better Existence with HIV is deeply troubled by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s veto of portions of the state’s FY08 budget. By cutting funding for vital, life-saving programs, the governor has put millions of Illinoisans at risk. These cuts, seemingly chosen for political reasons, will seriously impact many organizations as they provide essential services for the people most in need of help.

While rates of HIV infection have declined among some affected communities, prevention successes have not been as evident among the populations at greatest risk, particularly people of color, youth and women. Among U.S. metropolitan areas, Chicago has the fourth largest population of people living with HIV/AIDS. Estimates show that more than 1,000 Chicago-area individuals are newly infected each year. Even more frightening, recent studies show that 1 in 2 new infections occur in youth between the ages of 13 and 25. African Americans have an infection rate eight times that of Caucasians and are 23 times more likely to receive an AIDS diagnosis. Teenage girls account for 63 percent of new AIDS cases reported among young people ages 13-19.

BEHIV’s education outreach program provides comprehensive HIV prevention education (which is a state-mandated part of a school’s curriculum) to thousands of students each year. The program has experienced significant growth over the past year, reaching over 12,000 individuals at presentations throughout the Chicago area—students from Calumet City to Evanston and Englewood to the Loop.

The impact of BEHIV’s education outreach program is felt throughout the Chicago area as young people each year are given the tools they need to protect themselves from the virus and to lead healthy lives. Without funding from the state, we are uncertain if we can maintain the program at the level of previous years.

I urge the Legislature to override Gov. Blagojevich’s veto and help thousands of young people in our community maintain their health.

Eric Nelson

Executive Director, BEHIV

Evanston