* Tribune…

Illinois has replaced an arcane state law dating to post-Prohibition days that required businesses to get approval from the state to serve alcohol within 100 feet of a church or school.

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday signed the new law, which allows local authorities to hand out exemptions to the state’s Liquor Control Law of 1934 that limits where alcohol sales can take place. Previously, it took an act of the General Assembly and approval of the governor to grant an exemption.

Rauner said the change was “a clear example of bipartisan cooperation in Springfield to reform a broken system.”

“Entrepreneurs should not have to pass a state law to open a new business,” he said.

This was a much-needed piece of legislation. The whole process was ridiculous.

* Illinois News Network…

State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, said one business had to wait a year to get a bill through the state legislature to get a liquor license. She said it didn’t make sense to require farmers in southern Illinois to sound off on a liquor license request for a Chicago business.

“Sixty-eight pages of the 72-page liquor control act are exemptions,” Feigenholtz said. “Today, we end that.” […]

Rauner said he has pushed hard to give control back to local governments since he took office in 2015.

“I actually vetoed two license requests to try and force the change because business was being browbeaten to come to Springfield,” Rauner said. “I said, ‘stop this, no more.’”

Rauner, without naming names, said some state politicians used the 1934 state law to play politics or to get campaign contributions.

* That’s not all Rauner said. When asked if there was any opposition to the bill, Rauner said…

There was opposition. I’ve been fighting for it since I became governor. This has sort of been the law for decades. It’s a way for elected officials to sort of muck around in local politics and maybe get some more campaign contributions or pressure folks to have to come and ask a favor. If you have to force to get a favor then you can get some other political favors. It’s a way that politics gets into the local level. We need to eliminate that, cut the red tape, get Springfield off the backs of our local communities and off of our local business owners. That’s what I’ve fought for every day.

If we can do the same thing that we do on this for things like consolidate local governments, or streamlining procurement or competitive bidding or contracting, get Springfield off the backs of local communities, we’ll bring down our property taxes and we’ll grow even more jobs.

* Other stuff…

* New laws streamline getting into Illinois nursing homes and staying there: Low-income seniors, the disabled and their families will find it easier to apply for and keep Medicaid benefits for long-term nursing home care as a result of two Senate bills signed Thursday by Gov. Bruce Rauner. Rauner signed SB 2385 and SB 2913 at Amberwood Care Center before dozens of attendees, including legislators and representatives of 19 Rockford-area nursing homes.

* Rauner signs laws aimed at nursing-home Medicaid backlog: He also signed a law eliminating the need for annual Medicaid re-determination in cases where financial circumstances have not changed. This comes after a nursing home in Girard had to close because it was fronting the cost of $2 million worth of Medicaid.

* Illinois Governor OKs Allowing Medical Cannabis at Schools: The law does authorize a school to prohibit dispensing the drug if administrators determine it would create a “disruption to the school’s educational environment” or if it would expose other students to the product.

* Small business advocates warn anti-discrimination measure could mean more litigation

* Take it from Pope Francis and Illinois: the death penalty should go