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Illinois lawmakers say the state’s newest gun control law could stop a mentally ill or violent person from going on a shooting rampage. 

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Illinois is ramping up efforts to place children under its care in other states to prevent them from having to stay in mental institutions longer than necessary, but some providers in other states won’t take the kids because of Illinois’ poor record of payment.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Continues administration’s commitment to honoring heroes

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed legislation that expands the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy and cuts the red tape on future construction projects, allowing the administration to move quickly to build a new state-of-the-art facility at the campus.

“We’re building a brand new facility and making sure our veterans have a safe place to call home,” Rauner said. “Building this new facility should not be caught up in the bureaucratic process. Our veterans deserve the best. They have fought to secure our freedom and we’re fighting to make sure they have the care they need for generations to come.”

Rauner signed Senate Bill 3128, allowing the state to use the design-build delivery method to renovate, rehabilitate and rebuild the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy. This method will eliminate redundant steps in the traditional state construction process, shave months off the overall project time and save taxpayer dollars.

“More than 360 veterans call the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy home and we’re excited about moving forward with this project,” said Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Acting Director Stephen Curda. “This home is a staple in the community and we hope that never changes. We are all proud of this home and just last week, we gave Quincy residents an opportunity to learn more about the new home development process and provide ideas on what it could look like.”

Rauner also signed House Bill 5683, which makes the recently purchased Sycamore nursing facility an official part of the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy. Renovations are already underway on the Sycamore unit and are expected to be complete by the end of the year. Securing this unit will ensure continuity of care and temporary housing for veterans while construction on the new facility at the existing campus is ongoing.  

“We continue to move quickly on a number of initiatives to serve our veterans,” said Mike Hoffman, senior adviser to the governor. “This includes the renovation of the Sycamore building, ongoing water management projects, and development of a new master plan for the Quincy campus.”

State legislators applauded today’s actions.

“Securing the design-build contract is one of the final steps to kick-start the Quincy Veterans’ Home $52 million capital development plan,” said Sen. Jil Tracy, R-Quincy. “Over the next five years, the campus will undergo a major rehabilitation to update the care facilities and residence to ensure it is up to code and safe for all of our veteran residents and their families. I’m glad to see the governor taking such swift action to begin construction on one of Quincy’s most important landmarks.”

“The heroes who live at the Quincy Veterans’ Home deserve the very best care that can be provided, and today we took a major step in ensuring that will happen,” said Rep. Randy Frese, R-Quincy. “Our veterans and the entire Quincy community are thankful and are looking forward to a remodeled and revitalized Quincy Veterans’ Home.”

“The acquisition of the (Sycamore) transitional facility is an important step toward making sure our veterans receive the best care possible,” said Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo. “I commend not only Gov. Rauner, but the bipartisan working group that identified this as a solution to keeping our veterans in Quincy at a site they call home.”

“This is part of a multi-pronged effort to provide top notch facilities for our state’s veterans in Quincy,” said Rep. Mike McAuliffe, R-Chicago. “It will guarantee that the veterans that are moved to Sycamore during ongoing renovations to Quincy are still seeing the same familiar, caring faces.”

Illinois’ attorney general is asking the courts to rule that a controversial Illinois law about immigration policies complies with federal law.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Vows to veto gun dealer licensing bill again; urges action on broad public safety plan

CHICAGO — Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed two bills into law that could help prevent people who are a threat to themselves or others from possessing or purchasing guns. The bills, which have bipartisan and bicameral support, are part of the comprehensive public safety plan that the governor unveiled earlier this year.

Rauner’s signature on HB 2354 enacts “red flag” legislation giving courts authority to use emergency civil restraining orders to disarm dangerous individuals; and with the signing of SB 3256, the 72-hour waiting period for handguns delivery is extended to all guns purchased in Illinois.

At the press conference announcing the bill actions, Rauner urged legislators to get to work on other public safety legislation, including proposals that give schools the ability to hire more resource officers and mental health workers, a point he will make at an event in Dixon later today where he will meet with local law enforcement officials and School Resource Officer Mark Dallas, the Dixon officer who was hailed a hero after he stopped a school shooting there in May.

He also used the press conference to make it clear that he will veto dealer licensing legislation (SB 337) if and when it is sent to his desk.

Bipartisan support for emergency restraining orders

 “Everyone agrees that we need to keep firearms out of the hands of those who would use them to commit acts of violence against themselves or others,” said Rauner. “These two laws are a commonsense approach that gives us tools to limit access to guns and perhaps save lives while we continue to respect Constitutional rights.”

The new “red flag” law means the courts can prevent possession or purchase of firearms in emergency situations where there is imminent danger of gun violence.

“In the wake of gun violence tragedies, we hear again and again from friends and family members who saw warning signs but felt helpless because they couldn’t keep guns away. With this law, families and law enforcement can seek emergency restraining orders if a person’s gun possession would pose a significant danger to themselves or others. Signing this bill will save lives,” said Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, co-sponsor of HB 2354.

“Acts of senseless violence in schools, churches or other public places are all too often committed by individuals who have shown signs that they are mentally unstable and interested in causing harm to themselves or others,” said State Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard. “This tightly worded legislation puts critical protections in place to help curb mass shootings by disturbed individuals who should not have access to guns. It’s an excellent example of how we can produce good legislation when politics is set aside, and Republicans and Democrats work together.”

“The legislation signed into law today addresses the growing problem of unstable people using guns to cause harm, while also protecting gun owners’ rights,” said Rep. Steve Reick, R-Woodstock, also a chief co-sponsor. “The firearms restraining order bill that was sent to us by the Senate represented an extreme overreach into the civil liberties and Constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners. It also lacked adequate due process for the individuals from whom firearms would be removed.”

“Domestic violence, suicides, and poor mental health continues to destroy Illinois families and communities across Illinois. This new law gives families a tool to help prevent or lessen violence in Illinois,” said Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago.

One of our goals on the Legislative Public Safety Working Group was to recommend policies that would help to stop future tragedies before they start. That’s exactly what this legislation intends to do,” said Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-St. Charles. “As we’ve learned from previous mass shooting situations, family members and others had noticed unstable, reckless or suspicious behavior. It is my hope that by providing a legal avenue for family members, acquaintances or law enforcement to identify and potentially stop a seemingly dangerous individual from harming themselves or committing a deadly act of violence, we can prevent a tragedy from occurring.”

“With help from the public in identifying dangerous individuals, this initiative allows for law enforcement to temporarily remove the individual’s FOID card and firearms until the court determines they are no longer a present danger to others,” said Sen. Chris Nybo, R-Elmhurst. “It’s a preventative measure that could save lives in Illinois, and I appreciate the governor’s support and swift enactment.”

Waiting period for all gun purchases

The 72-hour waiting period in SB 3256 is a bipartisan measure extending the wait to all guns purchased in the state. It, too, has the potential to prevent tragedies. In suicide cases, for example, health professionals say if the impulse to commit suicide is not acted upon immediately, it often does not arise again. The short delay prior to possession could be the difference between life and death.

“No such need with respect to firearm possession is answered by the amended dealer licensing bill passed by the General Assembly (SB 337),” the governor said. “I intend to veto it again because it has no appreciable potential to reduce criminal access to guns.”

According to Loyola University studies on gun violence in Chicago, criminals rarely buy their guns directly from federally licensed and regulated gun dealers. Criminals obtain their guns further down the supply chain, usually from street sources and most often from sources out of state. No amount of duplicative state regulation of gun dealers, who are already federally licensed, will change that reality.

In addition, Rauner said that SB 337 creates another unnecessary regulatory burden for 2,700 small businesses whose livelihoods would be threatened.

The governor’s comprehensive public safety plan calls for an amendment to the County School Facilities Sales Tax statute to let school authorities use the revenue to hire school resource officers or mental health workers based on local determinations of need. The plan also included the emergency restraining order and 72-hour laws as well as truth-in-sentencing and fiscal reforms to spur economic development and create jobs.

The governor believes bipartisan public safety discretion is what voters ought to have. Use of revenue from this sales tax revenue, provided it is approved by referendum, is a sensible step toward providing adequate security for our schools and giving more local control to our communities, Rauner said.

The governor introduced a comprehensive public safety plan in May. The plan included the 72-hour waiting period for all guns, an emergency restraining order,  school resource officer plan, as well as a bump stock ban, truth in sentencing, and a death penalty provision for mass murderers and those who kill police officers.

EDWARDSVILLE — After months of controversy, the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a separation agreement ending the tenure of Randy Dunn as president of the SIU System.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

In dealing with the travails of serving as a spokesman and strategist for myriad Illinois Republican candidates, John McGovern stayed true to his beliefs in policy and civility even as public moods about ideology and partisanship shifted.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

Bruce, Diana Rauner kick off celebratory weekend

marking end of two-year, privately funded renovation

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner and First Lady Diana Rauner welcomed guests and visitors today at the grand reopening of the Illinois Governor’s Mansion on East Jackson Street in Springfield.

Joining Mansion Curator Justin Blandford to unlock the front door at a celebratory ceremony this morning, the Rauners cheered the results of the two-years long, privately funded project and encouraged Illinoisans to plan a visit soon to “the People’s House.”

“This is a great day for the state of Illinois,” Gov. Rauner said. “Diana and I have been eager to reopen the doors of the mansion and we are so excited to invite the people of Illinois back to this historic facility.”

In addition to workers and project benefactors, the governor thanked U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, who shared an American flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol to grace the Governor’s Mansion property.

“Of course, the biggest thanks of all goes to my wife, my First Lady Diana, who serves as chair of the Illinois Governor’s Mansion Association and is really the heart and soul of this renovation project,” the governor said.

Diana Rauner praised the association members, partners, donors and supporters who made the project possible — taking the 1800s-era mansion that had last undergone extensive renovation in the 1970s from a virtually uninhabitable, dilapidated state to an ADA-compliant, energy efficient, elegant space with a new visitors’ center, dedicated art space and more.

“As the third oldest governor’s mansion in use, the residence was in desperate need of attention,” she said. “The exterior needed repair, the furnishings were worn out and the facilities were showing their age … today, we can’t wait to welcome you all inside to see the tremendous strides we’ve made.”

In addition to welcoming visitors and guests and applauding project supporters, Diana Rauner introduced Loyola University Chicago graphic design student Chrystal Ragasa, who created the new logo for the Mansion Association. Ragasa’s design was selected from among entries submitted by college-level students from throughout the state.

Public tours followed the reopening ceremony; the Illinois Governor’s Mansion is now open for daily public tours from 1 to 4 p.m. Tours last roughly one hour and may vary depending on age and size of group. For more information on group tours and to learn more about the Illinois Governor’s Mansion, visit illinoismansion.org. 

“We consider the Governor’s Mansion the People’s House,” Gov. Rauner said. “Today and for generations to come, we invite the citizens of Illinois and visitors from around the world to visit this remarkable structure and to glimpse the history of our state, see the creations of its people and experience the hospitality that is endemic to Illinois.”

CARBONDALE — Embattled Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn is expected to step down early this week.

Here’s a link to the story in the Southern Illinoisan.