Gov. Bruce Rauner has scaled back what he’s asking the legislature to consider from his agenda to three bills.
Rauner didn’t specify which three of his proposals he was referring to after an event in East Peoria Thursday, though he has previously mentioned six items he wanted addressed this year: term limits, redistricting reform, tort reform, changes to workers’ compensation, pension reform, and a property tax freeze with limits on collective bargaining.
While Rauner may have changed how many bills he wants considered, he’s still placing the blame on House Speaker Michael Madigan for the lack of movement on his agenda.
In other state news, with medical cannabis supposedly two months away from being available in Illinois, more people are applying for medical marijuana cards.
The number of applications has increased by 40 percent since March, and the number of approval letters sent out has jumped up 75 percent, according to figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
Besha Brewer, executive director of the Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois, thinks patients who had been holding off on applying are now jumping in to make sure they receive medicine when it’s available in the fall.
Brewer estimates the earliest any marijuana will be available to patients is in October.
