SPRINGFIELD —Following the passage of Senate Bill 2111, a bicameral transit reform package, State Senator Graciela Guzmán released the following statement:

“This is a package with a lot of shared sacrifice to avoid the most regressive thing we could have done in the moment: not funding transit, losing jobs, losing routes, and losing ways to get to school, work, doctors and more essential services.

“I want to thank our transit champion, Senator Villivalam, for leading these negotiations. I also want to thanks the other leaders in the Senate, House, and governor’s office for coming together to get this across the finish line. I am also grateful for the coalition of stakeholders, including grassroots organizers and labor advocates, for their input to the final agreement and for elevating the needs of working Illinoisans.

“Most importantly, I want to thank my community members for the thousands of calls, emails, letters, and hours of work on this matter. After holding several town halls on this issue and speaking with folks outside your homes, in grocery stores, and on the train, it is clear how essential our transit system is to our neighbors and how much we love this system connecting all of us together. I want you all to know how your advocacy made a difference, and how proud I am to represent this district.

“We still have a lot of work to do to ensure progressive revenue is available—not just to fund transit, but also other funding needs our state has. As we celebrate what was passed, I’ll begin work to ensure the RAP program is funded to support our community with disabilities, and to build a world-class transit system that builds the $1.5 billion intergenerational investment we are making.”