Inspector For Transportation Agencies Gets Senate OK
(WBBM) - The Illinois Senate Wednesday approved legislation that would give the state's executive inspector general the power to investigate complaints of irregularities at Metra, Pace, the CTA and the RTA.
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The bill passed 38-12 and now moves to the Illinois House.
The legislation is the result of weeks of negotiations between sponsoring State Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Highwood) and transit officials.
The CTA has had an inspector general's office for more than a decade, but Metra, Pace and the RTA have not.
Stung by criticism that it had been asleep at the switch while allowing a growing series of irregularities that ended in the suicide of Executive Director Phil Pagano hours before he would have been fired, the Metra board began almost immediately to set up an office of inspector general.
The RTA and Pace have also expressed interest in setting up similar offices.
Garrett was dissatisfied with those efforts, and insisted that someone other than the agencies' boards choose an inspector general.
Initially, she sought to set up an inspector general's office that would investigate complaints at the RTA, Metra and Pace directly and oversee the CTA inspector general.
Unable to agree on how the office would be staffed or who would ultimately select the inspector general, Garrett and the RTA compromised on the use of the existing state executive inspector general.
"Nobody is looking to expand (its) oversight into local units of government," Garrett said, answering critics of the bill. "But given the task at hand, this is the best and most effective way to go about it."
Co-sponsoring State Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Wilmette) argued that the depth of Metra's problems required immediate action.
"Here is a specific remedy that we have that can address a problem where you have public agencies in ethical receivership," he said.
Opponents consisted of downstate Republicans who questioned the cost to the state and the absence of language requiring the RTA to pay, although Garrett said it is her intention to "hold a hearing" and require that the RTA pay for the expansion of the executive inspector general's office that would be necessary.
"My concern is that once this bill comes out, it's going to be that much more difficult to come back and say, 'Okay, RTA, you're going to have to cough up some of that money,' because I'm sure that we'll be hearing from them that they don't have any money to do that," said State Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon).
The legislation would take effect June 1 if approved by the House and signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn.
The bill is SB3965.
Newsradio 780's Melissa Hahn contributed to this report.
