After two years of public hearings and heavy bipartisan negotiations spanning almost a year, Senator Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) supported the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act, landmark legislation that puts Illinois on a path toward a world-class transit system. The legislation secures long-term investments in Illinois infrastructure, implements an improved governance structure that holds transit agencies accountable to better service standards, and protects 15,000 current transit jobs held by hardworking Illinoisans in the transit industry.
Senate Bill 2111 was called during the final hour of the fall veto session. According to Lewis, who serves on the Senate Transportation Committee, the bill that ultimately passed in the Senate and House is significantly improved over the original version pushed by the majority party in May.
“Public transit is vital to the continued success of our region. Every day, thousands of residents in the 24th District rely on Metra and Pace to commute to work, while many others depend on it for travel to and from the City on weekends,” said Lewis. “Earlier versions of this legislation included a range of unpopular statewide and regional taxes, including taxes on home deliveries, streaming services, and rideshare trips, and a real estate transfer fee. These proposed revenue sources were successfully negotiated out of the legislation. While the final bill is not perfect, the version brought forward on Friday represents a substantial improvement and a meaningful step forward for our transit system and the communities it serves.”
With more than $1 billion diverted from existing revenue streams that would have otherwise been passed on to taxpayers, Illinois will be able to stabilize its current transit operations. Equally important, it will fully fund paratransit for everyone in the Chicagoland region. A provision that grants the RTA greater financial authority may provide additional flexibility to meet future funding needs. Additionally, oversight and governance will be reformed, and the current Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) board will be replaced by a Northern Illinois Transportation Authority (NITA) board with greater oversight and decision-making power.
“These are concepts that have been used successfully in the private sector, and I advocated for them throughout our negotiating process. We’re investing in Illinois’ future by modernizing our public transit systems to better connect communities and strengthen our economy,” Lewis said. “These transformational reforms will improve reliability, sustainability, and access for riders across the RTA region and provide additional funding for improvements to downstate transit systems. By building a more efficient transit network, we’re laying the groundwork for long-term economic growth and opportunity and making Illinois a place where people want to live and not leave.”
The effective date for SB 2111 is June 1, 2026.