UNIVERSITY PARK – State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Orland Hills) stood in support as Governor Quinn signed the South Suburban Airport Act into law on Thursday. The act, co-sponsored by Hastings, dedicated funding to the development of a new airport in Peotone. The airport will be built by the Illinois Department of Transportation and operate in a public-private partnership, known as a “P3”.

“I made a commitment to the residents of the 19th District that I would look for new opportunities to create jobs and foster growth in the Southland,” Hastings said. “This law will expand our intermodal transportation system and bring hundreds of construction and skilled labor jobs to an area that has been struggling to recover from the recent downturn in the economy. It’s a start in the right direction, and I believe, a sign of better things to come.”

Senate Bill 20 was approved by both the House and Senate in May of this year.