Hultgren Reaffirms Commitment to Kendall County Metra Station, Urges Patience

The turnout was sparse, but the opinions were many when U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren appeared Thursday at Oswego Village Hall for a town hall meeting.

Although much of the discussion focused on national issues, Hultgren did respond to a question posed by Oswego Village President Brian LeClercq about whether he supports the position of former House speaker and 14th District U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert regarding funding for a Kendall County Metra station near Orchard and Mill roads. Before leaving office, Hastert had secured $75 million in the federal transportation bill.

Hultgren said he does support it, but he urged patience in light of cuts to the federal transportation budget.

"I know these things take time, which is frustrating," he said. "At best this is probably a four- or five-year plan before anything opens. ... These are difficult times."

Those who attended the town hall seemed more intent on discussing national issues with Hultgren. Questions ranged from airport screening procedures to the recent Medicare changes approved by Hultgren and his fellow House Republicans last week.

Hultgren also took some criticism for a bill he recently introduced that encourages states to move to a graduated system for handing out drivers licenses to teenagers.

House Bill 1515, the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act, would require states to enact a three-stage licensing process, including a learner’s permit period, an intermediate phase and an unrestricted stage.

Drivers under 18 would be restricted to one unrelated passenger in the vehicle at a time unless a licensed driver older than 21 is also in the vehicle. They also would be forbidden to use cell phones while driving except in emergency situations.

The bill would allow the U.S. secretary of transportation to impose other restrictions, such as a minimum time spent driving under a learner’s permit before taking the license test; at least 30 hours of supervised driving experience before taking the test; and an automatic delay of full license status if the teen driver is convicted of a traffic offense.

Two women at the town hall told Hultgren the bill seemed like the federal government encroaching on state's rights. If states do not adopt the system, 10 percent of federal highway funds would be withheld. This provision amounted to a mandate, according to one of the women.

"This is not a mandate," Hultgren said. "It is an an encouragement. ... I understand why you would say that if a state wanted 100 percent of their federal funding ... but the federal government is already involved in (state) transportation issues."

In all, about 25 residents attended the forum. LeClercq assured Hultgren that given more notice and a later start (the event began at 5:30 p.m.) next time he "would pack the house."