Illinois lawmakers prepare to head back to Springfield for veto session, BGA breaks down agenda

ByRamona Meadors WLS logo
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Illinois lawmakers prepare to return to Springfield for veto session
Illinois lawmakers will return to Springfield next week for the state veto session, and the Better Government Association broke down the agenda.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- Illinois state lawmakers will head back to Springfield next week for the state's veto session.

Bryan Zarou, director of policy at the Better Government Association spoke with ABC7 about the items on the agenda. Lawmakers will address four bills, vetoed by Governor JB Pritzker, and review any laws passed before they take effect next year.

Pritzker vetoed four different bills:

A bill on local governments entering into private public partnerships. The bill was vetoed because there were some transparency concerns.

A bill regarding religious dietary needs in schools. The bill would have made the state board of education enter into a master contract. But the governor says that these types of agreements should be done at the local school board level as they know the needs of every community.

A property tax relief bill to surviving spouses of first responders. This was vetoed because there was a change that was added to give private nursing homes in Cook County a tax break, which would have passed that cost to suburban property taxes

A bill that would have removed the moratorium on new construction for nuclear power plants. This legislation presented a host of issues involving regulatory and environmental concerns.

So far, the legislature does not poised to reverse any of these vetoes.