HR 946

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Full Text of HR0946
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	HR0946 - 104th General Assembly
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		HR0946		LRB104 22176 RMO 38430 r
1HOUSE RESOLUTION
2    WHEREAS, The United States Congress is the federal
3legislative body responsible for enacting laws and
4appropriating funds for the nation's transportation
5infrastructure; and
6    WHEREAS, Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) reintroduced the
7American High Speed Rail Act of 2026 in the United States House
8of Representatives on May 26, 2026, co-led by Congresswoman
9Suzan DelBene (WA-01) with 48 original cosponsors,
10demonstrating broad congressional support for building a
11world-class national high-speed passenger rail network; and
12    WHEREAS, The American High Speed Rail Act of 2026 would
13authorize up to $41 billion annually over five years for
14high-speed rail planning, construction, and new technologies,
15representing a total federal investment of up to $205 billion
16to build and expand a national high-speed rail system, with
17incentives for $38 billion or more in additional non-federal
18funding; and
19    WHEREAS, The bill establishes definitions for high-speed
20rail as trains traveling at speeds of 186 miles per hour or
21greater and higher-speed rail at 110 to 186 miles per hour, and
22it creates robust frameworks for public-private partnerships
		HR0946	- 2 -	LRB104 22176 RMO 38430 r
1to maximize the return on federal investment; and
2    WHEREAS, The American High Speed Rail Act of 2026 would
3support equity, resilience, sustainability, and economic
4development by prioritizing grant funding for regions
5underserved by aviation, expanding transit-oriented
6development incentives to grow affordable housing around rail
7hubs, and directing the United States Department of
8Transportation to fast-track performance-based safety
9standards for advanced rail technologies; and
10    WHEREAS, Proponents of the legislation estimate that the
11investment it authorizes could create millions of well-paying
12American jobs, reduce carbon emissions, connect communities of
13all sizes, and put the United States on par with rail systems
14long established in Europe and Asia; and
15    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a strong stake in the
16development of a national high-speed rail network, and the six
17members of the Illinois congressional delegation who are proud
18original cosponsors of the American High Speed Rail Act of
192026 are Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), representing
20Chicago's South Side and South Suburbs, Congresswoman Delia C.
21Ramirez (IL-03), representing Chicago's Northwest Side and
22Near Western Suburbs, Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (IL-04),
23representing Chicago's Southwest Side and Southwest Suburbs,
		HR0946	- 3 -	LRB104 22176 RMO 38430 r
1Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06), representing the Western
2Suburbs, Congressman Danny K. Davis (IL-07), representing
3Chicago's West Side and Western Suburbs, and Congresswoman Jan
4Schakowsky (IL-09), representing Chicago's North Shore and
5Northern Suburbs; and
6    WHEREAS, Illinois is home to Chicago, the nation's rail
7hub and one of the busiest passenger rail cities in North
8America, with Union Station serving as the anchor for Amtrak's
9national network and Metra's commuter rail system, making
10Illinois a natural cornerstone of any future national
11high-speed rail network; and
12    WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly, recognizing the
13transformative potential of high-speed rail for the State's
14economy and residents, enacted the High-Speed Railway
15Commission Act, establishing the Illinois High Speed Rail
16Commission to develop a comprehensive, statewide plan for a
17high-speed rail line and feeder network connecting Chicago and
18St. Louis, Missouri while also connecting the Illinois cities
19of Rockford, Moline, Peoria, and Decatur, incorporating
20existing Amtrak and Metra services and coordinating intercity
21bus services to support a robust statewide rail network; and
22    WHEREAS, The Illinois High Speed Rail Commission,
23supported by the Illinois Department of Transportation, is
		HR0946	- 4 -	LRB104 22176 RMO 38430 r
1conducting a ridership study and developing findings and
2recommendations on governance structure, frequency of service,
3and an implementation plan, representing a serious, active,
4state-led planning effort that requires robust federal
5partnership and funding to come to fruition; and
6    WHEREAS, Preliminary work by the Illinois High Speed Rail
7Commission indicates that a high-speed rail network has the
8potential to generate ridership many times greater than
9current Amtrak service in Illinois, significantly reducing
10travel times and per-passenger costs while unlocking
11substantial economic activity by connecting workers,
12businesses, and communities across the State far more
13efficiently than existing transportation options; and
14    WHEREAS, Budgets are statements of priorities, and as the
15wealthiest nation on Earth, the United States is more than
16capable of investing in modern trains on high-speed tracks to
17serve our people and our employers with clean, efficient
18transportation, as so many of our global competitors have
19already done, leaving the question before us to be not one of
20means but of will; and
21    WHEREAS, The Chicago metropolitan area suffers from some
22of the worst traffic congestion in the United States, costing
23commuters and businesses billions of dollars annually in lost
		HR0946	- 5 -	LRB104 22176 RMO 38430 r
1time and productivity, and one of the most effective
2strategies for relieving that congestion is investing in
3high-speed rail that offers a faster alternative to driving,
4pulling millions of cars off crowded expressways and arterial
5roads and freeing them for the freight haulers, tradespeople,
6and other drivers who have no choice but to drive, making the
7entire regional transportation network function better for
8everyone; and
9    WHEREAS, High-speed rail investment in Illinois would
10generate thousands of construction and permanent jobs, spur
11economic development in communities along rail corridors,
12reduce highway and airport congestion, lower greenhouse gas
13emissions, and improve quality of life for millions of
14Illinois residents; and
15    WHEREAS, The Trump administration's federal budget
16proposals will determine the scope and ambition of national
17infrastructure investment for years to come, and robust
18federal funding for high-speed rail is essential to
19translating state-level planning into real infrastructure that
20serves Americans across the country; therefore, be it
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
22HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
23we express our strong support for the American High Speed Rail
		HR0946	- 6 -	LRB104 22176 RMO 38430 r
1Act of 2026, introduced by Congressman Seth Moulton and co-led
2by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, and we commend Illinois
3congressional delegation members Congressman Jonathan L.
4Jackson, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez, Congressman Jesus
5"Chuy" Garcia, Congressman Sean Casten, Congressman Danny K.
6Davis, and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky for their leadership
7as original cosponsors of this landmark legislation; and be it
8further
9    RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to
10advance and pass the American High Speed Rail Act of 2026 and
11to ensure that any federal surface transportation
12reauthorization package includes substantial, dedicated
13funding for high-speed and higher-speed rail development
14nationwide; and be it further
15    RESOLVED, That we call upon the Trump administration to
16include robust funding for high-speed rail in its federal
17budget proposals in recognition of the immense economic,
18environmental, and national competitiveness benefits that a
19modern national rail network would provide to communities
20across the United States, including those in Illinois; and be
21it further
22    RESOLVED, That we affirm our support for the ongoing work
23of the Illinois High Speed Rail Commission and the Illinois
		HR0946	- 7 -	LRB104 22176 RMO 38430 r
1Department of Transportation in developing a statewide
2high-speed rail plan, and we recognize that this state-level
3planning effort represents the kind of serious, shovel-ready
4groundwork that merits strong federal investment through
5programs like those authorized by the American High Speed Rail
6Act of 2026; and be it further
7    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
8delivered to the President of the United States, the Secretary
9of the United States Department of Transportation, the Speaker
10of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority
11Leader of the United States Senate, and each member of the
12Illinois congressional delegation.