Illinois Approves $31 Billion Construction Plan

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a bill that will bring about $31 billion worth of road, transit and school construction projects.

1 minute read

July 15, 2009, 11:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


The money for this raft of projects will come from new revenues created by legalizing video poker, boosting fees for motorists, and raising taxes on some goods.

"The rookie Democratic governor said he is "betting on the future of Illinois" by launching the state's first major public-works package in a decade, predicting it would create or keep in place more than 400,000 jobs over six years. The legislation also provides more than $3 billion for hundreds of local pork-barrel projects doled out by Quinn and state lawmakers."

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 in Chicago Tribune

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