The Illinois House passed a bill Thursday that mandates the Chicago Public Schools system to give students free transportation if they have to travel along Safe Passage Routes. The bill passed through the chamber by a 73-39 vote.

State Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) shot down claims that the bill would cost the cash-strapped district too much money.

“All I can say is CPS has saved millions and millions of dollars,” Flowers told the Sun-Times. “Look at how many schools they closed. Look at how many books they’ve not purchased.

“The children of the city of Chicago deserve to be protected and respected,” she added.

Flowers said she was motivated to push for the bill after the savage December attack on a 15-year-old girl heading to school. The attack happened in the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood near a Safe Passage route at around 6 a.m. Flowers also cited the added distance many students have travel as a result of the massive round of school closures that passed last year. 

“What motivated me to carry the bill was the passage some of these kids would have to go down,” Flowers told the newspaper. “I said, ‘Oh my god, I wouldn’t want my daughter to walk that route.’” 

Current state law states that school districts must provide free rides to students who live 1.5 miles away from school and do not have access to public transportation. In Chicago, free public transportation is only available to special needs students as well as those who saw their schools close last school year and the new school is more than eight-tenths of a mile away from their previous school.

The bill, which is now headed to the Senate, is supported by the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Chicago Teachers Union and Illinois AFL-CIO. The Chicago Public Schools district has voiced opposition to the bill, which they estimate would cost $60.5 million to shuttle an estimated 53,500 students traveling along Safe Passage routes.