This November, Illinoisans have one chance to change the direction of our state, but we need your help to make it happen.
On election day, before Illinoisans cast their vote the for President of the United States they will be asked to vote on the Safe Roads Amendment, a proposed addition to the Illinois Constitution drafted by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. This amendment creates no new taxes, only requires that government spend existing taxes and fees on what they were promised for.
The Safe Roads Amendment will protect your money that is collected by governments in Illinois and spent on transportation investments and put an end to the ability of politicians to divert funds, something that has already resulted in over $6.8 billion that has been swept from our state’s road fund since 2003.
Illinois sits at the center of the North American transportation network. We travel over 103 billion miles a year on America’s third longest inventory of roads. Within our borders we possess the third largest transit system, second largest rail network, eighth most navigable waterway and are a leader in passenger and cargo air travel.
To keep these systems running Illinois needs to invest billions into our existing transportation assets over the next 25 years. However, since 2003 over $6.8 billion collected by the state of Illinois through gas taxes and vehicle registration has been swept & used for other purposes. This has eroded public trust while threatening our greatest competitive advantage–the ability of our state to move people and materials safely and efficiently.
As a result, Illinoisans are discouraged from pursuing new opportunities while businesses have a harder time attracting the top talent they need to compete. It also increases the cost of conducting business. In the Chicago area over $7 billion in productivity is lost every year due to congestion as people and goods sit in traffic. The additional wear and tear on our vehicles as a result of deteriorating roads costs us just over $3 billion a year.
From now until election day the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and our allies across the state are mounting a state-wide campaign to educate and inform Illinois voters about the Safe Roads Amendment. If this does not pass in November, policy makers will continue to divert billions of dollars away from where they need to be spent, putting our safety and economic security at risk while avoiding accountability for their actions.
A variety of organizations from across Illinois have come out in support of this amendment including several local chambers of commerce. Along with our partners at the Safe Roads Amendment, we hope you will join us as we work toward adoption of this amendment. For more information, please visit www.businessesforsaferoads.com or contact Benjamin Brockschmidt at bbrockschmidt@ilchamber.org.
