CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons joined his colleagues Tuesday as Governor Pritzker signed the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act into law (SB 2111), which fully funds and reforms public transit in Illinois with $1.5 billion in sustainable revenue. As a life-long public transit user, member of the Senate Transportation Committee, and champion for thousands of constituents who contacted his office advocating for funding of the transit fiscal cliff, this is a momentous victory for the safety, timeliness, cleanliness and overall quality of public transportation in Illinois for generations to come.

“Senate Bill 2111 is the culmination of over 2 years of hard work and successful advocacy from thousands of constituents who wrote and called my office advocating for funding the transit fiscal cliff,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “I look forward to maintaining oversight regarding implementation of the bill.  We all will have a role to play in making sure this law becomes a reality in a way that truly improves the quality of public transportation in Illinois.”

The new law, Senate Bill 2111, establishes $1.5 billion in sustainable revenue to fully fund and invest in public transit systems, and creates the Northern Illinois Transit Authority – known as NITA – shifting authority from the Regional Transit Authority to the new entity that will oversee CTA, Metra and Pace.

The Simmons-sponsored law addresses safety through various reforms, including the creation of a Transit Ambassador Program that will deploy full-time customer service staff trained in de-escalation at stations and on vehicles across the system. The law also establishes a Universal Fare System, allowing for unified ticketing between CTA, Metra, and Pace, and puts in place a fare-capping system to stop riders from overpaying fares on accident.

Additionally, the law supports the state’s climate goals by requiring all newly purchased transit buses to be zero emissions, and improves accountability by requiring Senate confirmation of all NITA board appointments.

“This bill solidifies the future of transportation in Illinois and provides residents with what they deserve -  a transit system that works and reliably gets them where they need to be,” said Simmons. “After many conversations with public transit users and other stakeholders from around Chicago, the suburbs, and townships around Cook County and several collar counties, we have built legislation to protect and ensure Illinois residents have a world-class transit network for years to come.”

Senate Bill 2111 was signed into law on Tuesday and goes into effect June 1, 2026.

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