SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham advanced a measure through the Senate that would specifically set aside funding for the city of Chicago to purchase and repair emergency service vehicles like fire trucks and ambulances.

“In an emergency, people expect a reliable fire truck or ambulance to show up,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “This legislation makes sure that the money collected from ambulance rides goes directly toward upgrading emergency vehicles, not diverted elsewhere.”

Cunningham’s legislation sets aside 10% of funds collected from ambulance rides and places them in a dedicated fund for upgrades emergency service vehicles in the city of Chicago. The city collects around $200 million every year from private insurance companies for ambulance transportation. These collected funds are placed into the city’s general revenue fund where they are being used for purposes unrelated to emergencies.

“We’re doing something here that just makes sense for the safety of our community,” said Cunningham. “It guarantees that the money from ambulance transports is reinvested in the lifesaving equipment our emergency responders depend on.”

House Bill 2977 passed the Senate on Thursday.