Help Secure Funding

Citizens and residents of Illinois: we need your help. We are facing an underfunded public transit system in the state that will result in delayed service for patrons in the form of reduced bus and train schedules, and job losses in the public transit sector if we do not secure appropriate funding through upcoming budget legislation by midnight on May 31, 2025.

Luckily, legislators introduced bills SB2111 in the Illinois State Senate and HB3438 in the Illinois State House of Representatives that will help secure $1.5 billion in funding which will secure jobs, increase service, unify Illinois transit systems, and help Illinois public transit operate for years to come.

If you live in the state of Illinois, please spare five minutes to call and email your representatives and tell them to support this legislation. You can find your local Illinois State Senate and House representatives through the State Board of Elections website.

You can also use BetterStreetsChicago’s web tool to email and call your representatives to help secure funding.

Don’t know what to say? Use this script when calling:

State Senate Representative Script

Hello my name is [NAME] and I'm a constituent from [ZIPCODE].

I'm calling to urge the representative to support SB2111 - monumental legislation that takes long-overdue steps to ensure transit agencies deliver a coordinated, cost-efficient regional transit service so that Illinoisans have access to safe, reliable, and affordable transit for generations to come.

This bill will improve safety and rider experience, better integrate service across Metra, Pace, and the CTA, including one fare to ride the whole system, and increase the frequency and speed of service across the region.

Please support this bill to secure funding for the benefit of all public transit riders in Illinois. Thank you.

State House Representative Script

Hello my name is [NAME] and I'm a constituent from [ZIPCODE].

I'm calling to urge the representative to support HB3438 - monumental legislation that takes long-overdue steps to ensure transit agencies deliver a coordinated, cost-efficient regional transit service so that Illinoisans have access to safe, reliable, and affordable transit for generations to come.

Please support this bill to secure funding for the benefit of all public transit riders in Illinois. Thank you.

Thank You!

A huge thank you for taking the time to do your part and help secure funding for public transit riders in this great state of Illinois.

A screenshot of a Google search query with dark grey background with white text. The search query reads "is tiktok" with autocomplete suggestions listed below reading "is tiktok getting banned", "is tiktok actually getting banned"

Senator Markey of Massachusetts recently announced on the Senate floor plans to introduce the "Extend the TikTok Deadline Act" which would delay the deadline for the upcoming TikTok ban by 270 days. This legislation would delay the economic harm the ban would inflict on millions of Americans while allowing additional time for our elected officials to have substantive debate on what to do about the ban. Now is the time to act and call our senators to encourage their support of Markey's Extend the TikTok Deadline Act.

Jessica Craven, an adamant political activist and organizer, produced a script (among others) you can read when calling your senators to voice your support of the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act. Below are step-by-step instructions how to do it along with Jessica's script:

What You Can Do

1. Call Your Senators!

Find the phone number for your senators through the Senate's website and call them, or call the US Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Add these phone numbers as contacts in your smartphone so you can call in the future, too.

Every state has two US Senators. Call both of them! If you have trouble getting through to their office in Washington, D.C., go to each senator's senate.gov page and call one of their branch offices local to your state. Those state branch offices are usually easier to get through to a real person.

2. Use The Script

Read the script below when calling each senator. This is taken directly from Jessica Craven's call script document, which has useful scripts on other issues you can call your representatives about as well. Remember: you must use your real name and the zipcode where you live when calling. Since this is an actual call to our real US Senators, we need to demonstrate we are one of their constituents and part of their voting base.

Hi my name is ______ and I’m a constituent from [zip]. I’m calling to ask the Senator to support the newly introduced “Extend the TikTok Deadline Act” from Senator Markey. This bill will delay the banning of TikTok for 270 days, giving Congress time to seek ways to address TikTok’s problems without banning it altogether. This ban will harm millions of Americans who either make their living or get vital information on TikTok. It’s an assault on free speech and got passed without ample debate. Delay it, please! Thanks.

3. Bonus Points!

Other things you can do to push your senators to vote for the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act:

Email your senator and/or send them a letter. You can email your senator through the contact form on their individual senate.gov page through the Contact link (under Message Topic/Issue select "Technology" or "Other").

I adapted Jessica's call script so you can copy/paste the script below into the Message field of your senator's contact form. You can also print it out, add your signature, and mail the letter to your senator!

Remember: replace [Name] with your actual name at the end!

Hello Senator,

I’m writing to ask for your support of the newly introduced “Extend the TikTok Deadline Act” from Senator Markey. This bill will delay the banning of TikTok for 270 days, giving Congress time to seek ways to address TikTok’s problems without banning it altogether. This ban will harm millions of Americans, including your many of your own constituents, who either make their living or get vital information on TikTok. It’s an assault on free speech and got passed without ample debate. Delay it, please!

Thank you and warm regards,

[Name]

Find the contact information for your US House of representative on the house.gov "find your representative" page and put their contact information into your smartphone. This will help when needing to contact your representative about issues in the future (and when the House needs to pass the bill on their end). You can also use third party services like 5 Calls or download the 5 Calls app for iOS or Android to quickly call your representatives in the House and Senate with call scripts about other important issues.

Call Now to Extend the TikTok Ban Deadline

Let's get to work and tell the US Senate to extend the TikTok deadline!