After more than a year of negotiations, Illinois lawmakers have approved a major public transportation funding package that avoids the broad statewide tax increases previously proposed.
The House passed Senate Bill 2111 in a 72-33 vote early this (Friday) morning, with only Democrats in support. The Senate followed with a 36-21 vote around 4 a.m., sending the measure to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk.
Instead of new statewide taxes on package deliveries, streaming services, or event tickets, the plan relies on existing revenue from the state’s Road Fund and an increased sales tax targeted to the Chicago area.
The move frustrated several downstate lawmakers who said the measure diverts funding from broader infrastructure projects to focus on Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority and its subsidiaries — the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and Pace.
“These systems have been running on borrowed time,” said Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado (D-Chicago), the bill’s sponsor. “Fragmented governance, uneven investment, and post-COVID ridership losses have left transit struggling with unreliable service, delayed trains, canceled routes, and a looming fiscal cliff that’s threatening to derail it all without action.”
The RTA, CTA, Metra, and Pace collectively face a $230 million shortfall in 2026 as federal pandemic aid runs out. That deficit is expected to grow to $834 million in 2027 and $937 million in 2028 — potentially forcing service cuts of up to 40% without new funding.
Republicans urged Democrats to delay the measure, arguing the funding crisis would not hit until mid-2026. But Democratic leaders pressed forward, calling it long-overdue reform.
“We are changing our public transit system for the first time in five decades — making it safe, reliable, accessible, and integrated,” said Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), who helped lead the bill in the Senate. “This ensures we have the performance and funding needed to build a next-generation system.”
The $1.5 billion plan now awaits the governor’s signature.