The Illinois General Assembly has passed the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for Transportation Act (HB 1091), an it’s now on its way to Gov. Quinn for signature.
What is the PPP Act?
The Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for Transportation Act (House Bill 1091) promotes the sound development and operation of transportation facilities in Illinois, by authorizing public-private partnerships for construction of new transportation infrastructure projects and limiting the lease of existing infrastructure assets. Authorizing public-private partnerships will allow Illinois to seek new sources of investment capital and more efficiently deliver infrastructure improvements, to improve our transportation system to better serve the needs of Illinois residents and businesses.

What does the PPP Act do?

• The Illinois General Assembly must approve all potential PPP projects prior to issuing RFQs or FRPs.
• All projects considered for public-private partnerships must be consistent with the corresponding region’s plan, provided the region has a Metropolitan Planning Organization.
• The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability will conduct an independent review of all project proposals prior to final approval of a public-private partnership to ensure it serves the public’s interest.
• The Illinois Tollway cannot lease existing assets.
• In cases where the project pertains to an existing transportation facility, the contractor will adhere to all existing employee contracts and obligations.
• Property belonging to the State of Illinois is not subject to taxation.

For more information about this act, see the full text of the Metropolitan Planning Council’s legislative alert (from which the above text was derived).