# Illinois HB4279: PASSENGER RAIL PLANNING ACT Illinois HB4279, PASSENGER RAIL PLANNING ACT, is a 104th General Assembly (2025–2026) House bill sponsored by Rita Mayfield (Democratic); status in committee, last action 2026-10-06 (Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michelle Mussman) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB4279-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Illinois HB4279 - State: Illinois - Session: 104th General Assembly (2025–2026) - Title: PASSENGER RAIL PLANNING ACT - Status: in committee - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-05 - Last action: 2026-10-06, Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michelle Mussman - Sponsor: Rita Mayfield (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 17 - Subjects: transportation: regulation, roads & bridges - Touches household money: no - Economic provisions PRIA read: 0 ## Summary Creates the Passenger Rail Planning Act. Sets forth intercity passenger rail routes serving or originating in the State. Requires the Department of Transportation to incorporate the aspirational frequencies into the Illinois State Rail Plan and the Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan. Authorizes the Department to nominate corridors for inclusion in the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program and enter into memoranda of understanding or other cooperative agreements for each identified interstate corridor to provide for shared data, joint investment prioritization, and aligned performance measures and planning schedules. Requires the Department to include a recurring section titled Progress Toward High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail within each update to the Illinois State Rail Plan and Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Requires each Metropolitan Planning Organization in the State to: (1) recognize the target intercity and long-distance passenger rail frequencies; (2) identify relevant rail corridors within or adjacent to the Metropolitan Planning Organization planning area; and (3) include a narrative discussion of how regional transportation investments can support achievement of those frequency targets. Requires the Department and each Metropolitan Planning Organization to consider progress toward the target passenger rail frequencies when developing project prioritization criteria for multimodal investments. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately. ## Bill overview No economic impacts identified for this bill. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Rita Mayfield (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Abdelnasser Rashid (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Ann M. Williams (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Dagmara Avelar (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Debbie Meyers-Martin (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Eva-Dina Delgado (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Joyce Mason (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kam Buckner (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kimberly Du Buclet (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: La Shawn K. Ford (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Laura Faver Dias (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Lilian Jiménez (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Lindsey LaPointe (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Michael Crawford (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Michelle Mussman (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Ryan Spain (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Theresa Mah (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Will Guzzardi (Democratic), House ## Actions (34) - 2026-10-06: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michelle Mussman (House) - 2026-05-29: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lilian Jiménez (House) - 2026-04-13: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid (House) - 2026-03-27: House Committee Amendment No. 3 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee (House) - 2026-03-27: House Committee Amendment No. 2 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee (House) - 2026-03-27: House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee (House) - 2026-03-27: Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee (House) - 2026-03-25: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Ryan Spain (House) - 2026-03-18: House Committee Amendment No. 3 Rules Refers to Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges (House) - 2026-03-18: House Committee Amendment No. 2 Rules Refers to Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges (House) - 2026-03-18: House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges (House) - 2026-03-17: House Committee Amendment No. 3 Referred to Rules Committee (House) - 2026-03-17: House Committee Amendment No. 3 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Rita Mayfield (House) - 2026-03-11: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Ann M. Williams (House) - 2026-03-11: Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado (House) - 2026-03-10: House Committee Amendment No. 2 Referred to Rules Committee (House) - 2026-03-10: House Committee Amendment No. 2 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Rita Mayfield (House) - 2026-03-04: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael Crawford (House) - 2026-02-25: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Laura Faver Dias (House) - 2026-02-18: House Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee (House) - 2026-02-18: House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Rita Mayfield (House) - 2026-02-17: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet (House) - 2026-02-11: Assigned to Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges (House) - 2026-02-10: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Theresa Mah (House) - 2026-02-04: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (House) - 2026-02-03: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Dagmara Avelar (House) - 2026-01-29: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Will Guzzardi (House) - 2026-01-28: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Joyce Mason (House) - 2026-01-21: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (House) - 2026-01-20: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin (House) - 2026-01-14: Referred to Rules Committee (House) - 2026-01-14: First Reading (House) - 2026-01-09: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kam Buckner (House) - 2026-01-05: Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Rita Mayfield (House) ## Bill text - House Amendment 1: [PDF](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4279ham001.pdf) - House Amendment 2: [PDF](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4279ham002.pdf) - House Amendment 3: [PDF](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4279ham003.pdf) - Introduced: [PDF](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4279.pdf) ## Related bills - HB5198: AFFORDABLE HOUSING-CILAS (passed house) - SB1937: PENSION CODE-VARIOUS (passed senate) - HB2563: CONDO-RESERVE STUDY (in committee) - HB4701: LIMITATIONS FACILITY FEES ACT (in committee) - SB3008: DHS-ABLE PROGRAM INFO MATERIAL (passed senate) - SB3484: VEH CD-PLATES-REGISTRATION (signed) ## Sources - [House Amendment 1 (PDF)](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4279ham001.pdf) - [House Amendment 2 (PDF)](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4279ham002.pdf) - [House Amendment 3 (PDF)](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4279ham003.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4279.pdf) ## Related - [HB5198: AFFORDABLE HOUSING-CILAS](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB5198-2025-2026) - [SB1937: PENSION CODE-VARIOUS](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-SB1937-2025-2026) - [HB2563: CONDO-RESERVE STUDY](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB2563-2025-2026) - [HB4701: LIMITATIONS FACILITY FEES ACT](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB4701-2025-2026) - [SB3008: DHS-ABLE PROGRAM INFO MATERIAL](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-SB3008-2025-2026) - [SB3484: VEH CD-PLATES-REGISTRATION](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-SB3484-2025-2026) - [Illinois bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/illinois/bills) - [Illinois state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/illinois) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB4279-2025-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).