As the spring legislative season heats up and MPC-supported legislation makes historic progress, it makes sense to emphasize a tactic that has proven effective over the years: achieving goals by building coalitions and involving all possible stakeholders in the process.
Formed in 2000 and assisted by a group of diverse organizations, the bipartisan, bicameral Illinois Growth Task Force led by Sen. John Maitland spent several meetings defining their shared goal of promoting sensible growth in Illinois, and reviewed best practices from other states. The task force then broke into three working groups — one to address state policies, one to look at land use and transportation and another to look at farmland and natural resource preservation — to identify priorites for policy change and legislation.
Nine priorities came out of this process, representing the work of each of the three working groups and the diverse interests of their members. Two of those recommendations — that Illinois amend its 1920s Planning Act and define the elements of a comprehensive local plan with incentives for voluntary participation, and that technical assistance grants be offered to communities to help them develop comprehensive plans — were developed by MPC staff into House Bill 505. Sponsored by Rep. Doug Scott, HB 505 passed the House in April.
Another task force priority was to create a Local Legacy environmental program that would offer incentives to counties to inventory their natural and cultural resources and develop resource protection plans. With leadership from the Openlands Project, this idea emerged as HB 2358 sponsored by Rep. Ricca Slone and also passed the house in April.
One of MPC's major legislative successes came out of a new focus by legislators, employers, environmentalists and developers (many of whom are active in the Campaign for Sensible Growth) on the jobs-housing mismatch . HB 504, the Live Near Work bill, also sponsored by Rep. Doug Scott passed the Illinois House with unanimous support, and is the first of what we hope will be a package of state incentives rewarding and enabling balanced growth.
In this spring session alone, MPC has seen more action on bills it supports than ever before, thanks to the support and sponsorship of a diverse team of players. HB 505 (Local Planning Assistance Act, see above), for example, was supported by the Illinois Association of Realtors, Metro Counties of Illinois and the League of Women Voters. Both the Illinois Association of Realtors and the Home Builders Association of Illinois came out in support of the Live Near Work Act (HB 504).
Do we need any more evidence that when all voices are heard, we emerge with a far stronger outcome than we could have created from just one perspective?