BURR RIDGE - Among new laws enacted on January 1, 2013, will be an effort to stop a different kind of crime—fraud on
Illinois’ suburban and Chicago transit systems. House Bill 4440/PA 97-781, sponsored in the Illinois Senate by State Senator Kirk Dillard of Burr Ridge seeks to curtail fraud associated with Illinois’ “Seniors Ride
Free” program. The effort could save the Regional Transportation
Authority (RTA) as much as $350,000 per year in lost revenue.
“The RTA found that there could be as many as 1,000 Seniors Ride Free cards being abused each year. These individuals are getting a free ride—literally—from the State of Illinois to the tune of almost a half-billion dollars,” said Dillard. “Requiring RTA and the state’s Department of Public Health officials to frequently check current Seniors Ride Free cardholders against those who have passed away is a common-sense practice that in time will save the state millions of dollars.”