County staff briefed the committee on S.B.2111 (House amendment 2), a substantial transit funding and governance package the House filed late and that remained subject to action in the Senate during veto-session deadlines.

Alicia and Scott summarized provisions relevant to local governments: the bill would create a 20-member successor entity (the NEDA board in the briefing) and set a 12-vote approval threshold for key actions plus a requirement that at least two of four geographic subgroups concur on certain matters. The amendment includes proposed new revenue sources to underwrite transit, among them a 0.25% increase in the regional sales tax, an amusement-event surcharge (a per-ticket surcharge at venues above a specified seat threshold) whose revenue would be shared with local governments, and proposed taxes on streaming/online services; a separate proposed net-worth tax on the very wealthiest residents (described in briefing as a "billionaire" tax) was also discussed as a revenue item in earlier drafts. The amendment would extend speed-camera authority beyond Chicago to other local governments under a local-installation model in which half of fines would go to the local government that installed the camera and the other half to the transit successor agency; the legislation in the briefing did not define "safety zones" where cameras may be installed.

Committee members asked detailed questions about governance mechanics (how the 12-vote 2-of-4 rule would operate), whether Pace/other service boards would receive dedicated new funding, and whether McHenry County projects (the Woodstock yard and extension planning) were explicitly supported. Staff said the Woodstock yard is included as a planning-study priority in the amendment and that NEPA work and grant-seeking remain necessary steps before construction funding could be obtained. Committee members were also briefed on the abbreviated legislative timeline: the House amendment had been filed late and senators had a short window in veto session to act, so the bill could move quickly.

Ending: Staff said they would continue to monitor SB2111, provide clarifications on the final language, and circulate updates to the committee once the senate receives the house amendment and any subsequent changes.