Illinois House Majority Leader Eva-Dina Delgado thinks Springfield can solve the transit fiscal crisis during six days in October

The unseasonably chilly, gloomy weather today in Chicago makes me think of the impending autumn, which brings to mind Chicagoland’s looming transit fiscal cliff. Now, the weather is nothing to panic about – we’ve still got more than a month left until the last day of summer. But the approaching monetary chasm is a big deal, because if $771 million isn’t allocated for public transportation soon, some 40 percent service cuts and 3,000 layoffs are projected.

Currently Illinois legislators are trying to pass a funding and governance reform bill that would not just plug the budget hole, but ideally raise $1.5 billion to improve the northeast Illinois transit network, and provide $200 million for downstate systems. While HB 3438 passed the State Senate on May 31, at the very end of the spring legislative session, the House didn’t vote on it. House leaders Streetsblog Chicago has interviewed says they’re working on crafting the “right” legislation in time for the fall veto session, scheduled for October 14-16 and October 28-30.

Today Streetsblog caught up with one of the key players in the current Springfield drama, House Majority Leader Eva-Marie Delgado, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Chicago’s Northwest Side. Along with fellow Chicago Democrat Rep. Kam Buckner, she’s co-leader of the House’s Public Transit Working Group, which is trying to solve this very tricky legislative puzzle.