* Sen. Willie Preston…

The financial crises threatening Chicago and the small businesses that make our city great are dire and require an all-hands-on-deck approach. This much was clear more than nine months ago, when the City Council approved video gaming terminals, or VGTs. […]

Simply put, the city cannot come to Springfield demanding legislators magically find $150 million for Chicago Public Schools while simultaneously refusing to implement a law that has already passed and would ultimately generate billions of dollars in tax revenue for the city and state. […]

That’s why, in the veto session of the General Assembly, I am proposing an emergency package of legislation to allow a cashless option for VGT operators, establishments and customers — to eliminate the legitimate fears of burglary and related crimes. […]

Under my proposal, municipalities such as Chicago that have legalized VGTs would be required to establish a licensing process within 60 days of an ordinance’s effective date and review applications within 30 days of receipt. If the municipality fails to meet those deadlines, authority to license VGT operations would transfer to the state of Illinois for establishments that meet the existing legal requirements.

* The Center Square…

An Illinois father says his daughter is at the center of legislation to shift transfer eligibility decisions from the Illinois High School Association to principals. […]

[Dan Matzen] said he reached out to state Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, who filed House Bill 5808 on August 25.

The measure would allow high school student athletes to transfer with full eligibility if both the sending and receiving schools provide written consent. […]

“This bill really puts pressure on principals. Now they’re the ones who are establishing the guidance of transfer students and making those ultimate decisions,” [IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson] told The Center Square earlier this month. […]

The General Assembly may take up the legislation during fall veto session from Nov. 17-19 and Dec. 1-3.

* Marijuana Moment…

Illinois would substantially expand its efforts to repair the harms of marijuana criminalization enforcement under a new bill that seeks to give cash payments directly to people impacted by prohibition laws.

The legislation, filed on Thursday by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D), would create a new Illinois Freedom Program “for the purpose of issuing direct cash payments to eligible individuals who have been disproportionately impacted by historical cannabis enforcement.”

The effort would supplement the state’s existing Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, which uses marijuana tax revenue to support community reinvestment in areas harmed by the war on drugs.

The cash payments would be administered through a new Illinois Freedom Fund, which the bill says would “consist of the incremental growth in cannabis tax revenue.”