Chicago City Wire

The O’Hare Transformation Act, a bill that would create a 14-member advisory committee to monitor, review and report the utilization of minority-owned business enterprises and women-owned business enterprises during the $8.5 million O'Hare Transformation project, has been referred to the House Rules Committee.

The project's goals for minority-owned firms are 25 percent of design contracts, 26 percent of construction contracts and 16.9 percent of commodity contracts for what would be the largest construction project in Chicago history. The O'Hare Transformation project will add gates and renovate terminals at O’Hare International Airport, adding more than 460,000 jobs over eight years, according to a city press release. 

Introduced by Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago), House Bill 5852 “provides that no airport property may be subject to taking by condemnation or otherwise by any unit of local government other than any agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision of this state." It also would mean all city contracts for the O'Hare Transformation Program will be subject to all applicable ordinances of the city and statutes of the state.

The bill is also co-sponsored by Rep. Andre Thapedi (D-Ashburn) and Rep. William Davis (D-Hazel Crest).