70 ILCS 3605/19.5: Chicago Transit Board.

(a) The governing body of the Chicago Transit Authority shall be the Chicago Transit Board. Beginning September 1, 2026, the Board shall consist of 7 members appointed as follows:

(1) Two members appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, including:

(A) a member with an initial term of 5 years who shall serve as a member of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority; and

(B) a member with an initial term of 3 years.

(2) Three members appointed by the Mayor of Chicago, with the advice and consent of the City Council of the City of Chicago, including:

(A) a member with an initial term of 3 years who shall serve as a member of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority;

(B) a member with an initial term of 5 years who shall serve as a member of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority; and

(C) a member with an initial term of 3 years.

(3) Two members appointed by the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, with the advice and consent of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, including:

(A) a member with an initial term of 3 years who shall serve as a member of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority; and

(B) a member with an initial term of 5 years.

(b) The subsequent terms of each director appointed under subsection (a) shall be 5 years.

(c) The Chair of the Board shall be elected by a majority vote by the members of the Board from among the members of the Board. Until September 1, 2030, the Chair of the Board must be approved by the Senate. Until September 1, 2030, if the members of the Board elect a Chair of the Board, then the elected Chair of the Board may serve as the acting Chair of the Board until confirmation. Until September 1, 2030, if the Senate votes against confirming the acting Chair of the Board, then the acting Chair of the Board must resign and the members of the Board must elect a new Chair of the Board.

(d) Initial appointments of members under subsection (a) must be made in time for the members to begin their terms on September 1, 2026.

(e) On September 1, 2026, the terms of all members serving on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, and of any members appointed to fill a vacancy, shall immediately expire. If a vacancy on the Board occurs before September 1, 2026, then the vacancy shall be filled under Section 21. Members serving on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly may be reappointed under subsection (a).

(f) The members of the Board shall receive an annual salary of $15,000, except that members of the Board who are also members of the Board of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority shall receive $10,000 per year in addition to the compensation the members receive for serving on the Board of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.

(g) Directors shall have diverse and substantial relevant experience and expertise for overseeing the planning, operation, and funding of a transit agency, including, but not limited to, backgrounds in urban and regional planning, management of large capital projects, labor and workforce development, business management, public administration, transportation, and community organizations. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, a director, while serving as such, shall not be an officer, member of the board of directors or board of trustees, or employee of any Service Board or transportation agency, shall not be an employee of the State of Illinois or any department or agency thereof or any municipality, county, or any other unit of local government, and shall not receive any compensation from any elected or appointed office under the Constitution or laws of this State, except that a Director may be a member of a school board or a member of the National Guard.

(h) Those responsible for appointing Directors shall strive to assemble a set of Directors that, to the greatest extent possible, reflects the ethnic, cultural, economic, racial, and geographic diversity of the metropolitan region.