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* Almost exactly four years ago…
It’s a time-honored tradition for Illinois governors to invite lawmakers, journalists and members of the public to ceremonial bill signings, an easy way for the chief executive to take credit for accomplishments and create a sense that he’s getting things done. Rauner has signed more than 400 bills into law since he took office in January. He has held zero public signing ceremonies.
Asked why that’s the case, Rauner spokesman Lance Trover did not directly answer the question but did say the “work of the General Assembly is not done.”
The governor’s allies in the General Assembly put a finer point on it: The stalemate has set up a situation where Rauner has tried to keep the focus on his agenda and the pressure on Democrats to pass it. Highlighting the achievements of others would detract from that effort.
“Bill signings are ceremonial, and they’re meant to be almost like victory laps,” said House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs. “I don’t see any reason why anybody would be celebrating what has happened in Springfield until we get a budget done.”
And that refusal to celebrate any victory - small or large - continued almost unabated for years. He refused to take a win on just about anything until he had to declare defeat last November.
* Capitol News Illinois today…
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed the final three bills of the 599 sent to him by the Illinois General Assembly during the spring legislative session.
Per the final tally, Pritzker signed 591 of the bills into law, while vetoing seven and sending one back to the General Assembly with an amendatory veto. The General Assembly will return in late October and early November to discuss new legislation and consider overriding any of the vetoes.
Among the final measures signed by the governor this week was the Home Energy Affordability and Transparency Act, which aims to provide greater regulation on alternative energy providers, many of whom go door to door locking customers into high energy rates.
Unlike Rauner, Pritzker has held numerous bill signing events. There have been exceptions, however. He didn’t have any sort of event when he signed Leader Durkin’s Sterigenics-related bill into law, for instance.
…Adding… Pritzker deputy press secretary…
From my count, @GovPritzker has held:
33 bill signings
10 executive order signings
9 pressers on signing the capital planLots to celebrate! https://t.co/mRYcZ1ZnUz pic.twitter.com/vn6PZTBggx
— Alex Hanns (@alexhanns) August 28, 2019
* Related…
* CUB Statement On Gov. Pritzker Signing HEAT Act
* Public companies in Illinois will soon have to disclose racial, gender makeup of corporate boards
* IL bars and restaurants can now fill growlers and crowlers: A growler is a 64 ounce resealable jug, a crowler is a 32 ounce can that breweries use to serve to-go beer .
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 28, 19 @ 9:48 am
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I imagine it’s also part of relationship-building…you bring in the sponsors and stakeholders who played a part in the legislation and publicly give them a pat on the back for their work. Doesn’t sound like something up Brucey’s alley…
Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, Aug 28, 19 @ 10:01 am
===And that refusal to celebrate any victory - small or large - continued almost unabated for years. He refused to take a win on just about anything until he had to declare defeat last November.===
Wow. That is perfectly succinct. Tough to expand, wow.
To the Post,
Politics is a game of addition. There are tools to make things add. You can indeed celebrate with those the small successes in hopes of adding those successes together for more successes, but the real numbers are measured in the number of Green you get to your own proposals. So… you give here, celebrate there, and cash in chits for your own… wins here, celebrations there.
Governing by gloom and and anger rarely produces celebrated outcomes.
Rauner had Dunkin, and at critical times, Franks and Drury.
What’s to celebrate with those folks voting most with Raunerites to purposely stop governing.
You can’t be one to find common ground or celebrate victories when your signature coalition building move is demanding “no $&@#% problems”
I’m grateful to this administration, for this post and in this instance, for normalcy in governing protocols, and then building upon those to continue to build policy wins. I’m grateful as it should be a signal to Republicans that another reason Raunerism failed and took down a party is that wins were measured by how angry Bruce and Diana Rauner were, and the measure on a scale of that anger.
When the ILGOP would like to purge Raunerism and isolate and see the wrong of the Eastern Bloc… I’ll be there… to celebrate our victories, and hopefully some legislative victories too.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 28, 19 @ 10:06 am
Growlers and crowlers! Progress.
Comment by Rutro Wednesday, Aug 28, 19 @ 10:28 am
Spot on, no one wants to be around people who can’t find the positive. Whatever Pritzkers faults may be and his agenda is full of them IMHO, he is setting the right tone with his supporters and other elected officials by holding these signing photo-ops.
Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Wednesday, Aug 28, 19 @ 10:35 am
The agreement this year between Durkin and Pritzker on the capital bill was great. It got us pro-business reforms, things Rauner wouldn’t accept unless they were extreme.
Pritzker is having a great term, with all the bills and plans enacted. It’s a great luxury to get stuff enacted like marijuana legalization and the minimum wage hike so early in the term. It would have been embarrassing for Pritzker to have lost the marijuana legalization bill, with the national headlines of another Democratic failure on legalization. Sterigenics looms over him, and he needs to ensure that people are protected from further harm.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Aug 28, 19 @ 10:38 am
Always shocking, especially in Illinois when a Governor says he will do and suppprt “x,y, and z” and actually follows thru. We had decades of inaction placing Illinois in a huge hole. Now there is someone concern about digging us up. Republicans hate it when a democrat comes into office and make govt work….a refreshing change the people of Illinois need.
Comment by Truthteller Wednesday, Aug 28, 19 @ 2:41 pm
Seems to be a flaw in the new language about growlers and crowlers. There is no definition of either, other than that they can contain up to 128 oz. of beer. I suppose that’s fine, but if they both mean the same thing, then why use two different words? But more importantly, in common parlance, a crowler is a 32 oz can. The new law requires that the growler or crowler bear “a twist-type closure, cork, stopper, or plug and includes a one-time use tamper-proof seal.” None of those seem to include a canned beer (in which the top is crimped onto the can). Thoughts?
Comment by Shevek Wednesday, Aug 28, 19 @ 5:39 pm