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The clock is ticking

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Illinois

* As I mentioned the other day, so many of Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2019 accomplishments were complicated solutions that have yet to bear fruit, or, in the case of the graduated income tax, have failed…

Nearly a year after the legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois, the state has failed to meet its promised diversity goals for the businesses licensed to be part of what’s expected to be a billion-dollar industry.

Backers of the law, which took effect last Jan. 1, promised to take steps to bolster minority ownership in response to calls for the racial and ethnic groups most harmed by the federal government’s long war on drugs to be given a greater opportunity to be part of the expected cash cow.

But there’s not a single licensed marijuana business that counts a person of color as a majority owner. Legal weed in Illinois continues to be dominated by a small group of white-owned, financially well-backed corporations. […]

On the day the law took effect in January, state Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, who was chief sponsor of the legislation along with state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said: “Moving forward, our top priorities for the cannabis industry are to ensure not only that it operates safely and in a way that generates much needed revenues for our state but that we harness the power of our state act to propel significant economic opportunity for every community and in a way that ensures diversification of the industry.” […]

Now, Cassidy says, “It’s still too soon to measure overall success or failure.

The complicated nature of this law is due in no small part to opponents, who demanded a ton of changes, and to the incumbent industry, which used its lobbying might to its own advantage.

The law is what it is. It was important to get it passed in 2019. But now it’s time to clean it up.

Candidate petitions can be circulated in 10 months. Better birth that baby, governor.

It’s also worth noting that the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (which handles cannabis except for growers) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security have both found themselves constantly under fire and both are overseen by Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes. His portfolio also includes the Department of Insurance, which just lost its director.

…Adding… While Hynes does have IDFPR, the governor’s office points out that he doesn’t control cannabis.

* Related…

* Illinois IDES unemployment callback complaints persist, some say they waited months only to be hung up on

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:03 pm

Comments

Giv Pritzker has his own BTIA ™ prpblem with the Dan Hynes crew.

Comment by Ok Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:08 pm
Campaigns are hard, governing is difficult, part 3,693.

=== Candidate petitions can be circulated in 9 months. Better birth that baby, governor.===

Incumbency and campaigns need policy wins, but policy results to the wins.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:19 pm
The clock is also ticking on taking the money away from the gangs and the illicit cannabis trade.

///Snark/// Time to step up enforcement so the state receives tax revenues and private industry is protected.

Comment by Occasionally Moderated Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:21 pm
Add that the Gaming Board has yet to issue one casino license even though Rockford and the Southern Illinois winery were singular bidders with no public issues.

Comment by SO ILL Dawgs Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:27 pm
“both are overseen by Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes. His portfolio also includes the Department of Insurance, which just lost its director.”

I’ve been saying for a while that the governor needs to step in and start holding his Deputy Governors accountable. We don’t have all of the answers on that front…are they micromanaging the agencies or not overseeing them properly? Either way, we know there is a problem with the accountability system as it stands now.

Comment by NIU Grad Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:27 pm
I imagine Hynes is jockeying for the US senate seat occupied by Sen. Duckworth if she moves into Biden administration.

==Time to step up enforcement so the state receives tax revenues and private industry is protected.==

Continuing prohibition/war on drugs policies to protect a few marijuana investors will hurt the Governor in minority communities tremendously.

The only way to undermine the black market is to ensure lower prices through increasing the number of growers and dispensaries. The competition needs to mirror the liquor industry or be create a climate where it’s even easier to enter the marijuana business than the liquor industry.

Right now, it’s too easy to go buy a bag or vial of legal weed and somehow never run out - especially when your saving cash on the black market, distribution is more convenient and law enforcement has been de-fanged.

Comment by Maggie's Farmhand Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:37 pm
===Hynes is jockeying for the US senate seat===

lol

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:39 pm
So then which Deputy Gov does control cannabis? Because it sounds like there are 2 deputy governors that need to get their acts together then.

Comment by Centennial Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:41 pm
So what are the specific reasons behind this?

=But there’s not a single licensed marijuana business that counts a person of color as a majority owner. Legal weed in Illinois continues to be dominated by a small group of white-owned, financially well-backed corporations.=

Comment by Unconventionalwisdom Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:46 pm
No one wants to say it out loud for fear of retribution but there’s a real problem with Hynes and his people. They want all the power but don’t care about the details. Agency staff are unable to function or do their jobs.

Comment by no oversight Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:57 pm
Hunh, it’s almost like people are seeing anew that they can’t trust Illinois government to satisfactorily manage Illinois government policies.

Comment by Responsa Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 12:58 pm
The failure of IDES may be the biggest failure of this administration, second only to perhaps the veterans home. Thousands of Illinois citizens in crisis, desperate for solutions, hoping for a state agency to do its job, and not so much as a mention from the Governor on what is being done to solve the problem.

Comment by Just Me 2 Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:01 pm
Not sure how a person gets blamed for overseeing the implementation of a law the GA passed and someone else negotiated for the Gov. IDES is a different matter.

Comment by Hyperbolic Chamber Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:11 pm
I assume that soon we will have state studies on the social consequences of legalization of marijuana. If as I think or hope there are no major problems then why not make pot ships like liquor stores? Let the market decide and didn’t let rich connect people control business. I would think that would open up at least retail end. Then regulate the growing part to make that fair.

Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:11 pm
…Need to be held accountable. Either by Governor or the media. Too many instances of non-transparency and hush-hush. Come on, Dan H.

Comment by Deputy Governors Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:20 pm
The pandemic has exposed me to a lot more state government stories from around the US. I’m thinking nearly every state government stinks at most levels, but the pandemic highlights the ineptitude of the mass scale of it. It worse here in Illinois because of the broken nature of the state budget and lack of leadership for the bulk of this century.

But start fixing things… Fix this… Fix something. Start small.. get A program that was designed to run well and get it running well.

Then move onto the next one. The lack of momentum to get this stuff working is galling. If state government was a football team they wouldn’t even make it off the bus on Sunday to kick the ball off.

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:21 pm
Interesting that the lead accomplishment of JB’s first is legal weed. I would have guessed that after watching Ms. Stratton dance just minutes after it’s legalization.

Comment by Seven Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:23 pm
Sounds like the governor needs to reset his team

Comment by Northside reformer Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:27 pm
“While Hynes does have IDFPR, the governor’s office points out that he doesn’t control cannabis.”

Oh yea, we have a Cannabis Czar…so how many people in the Governor’s office are involved with IDFPR day-to-day operations regularly? Cannabis goes straight through that department…is he ignoring all of their cannabis work while overseeing them?

Comment by NIU Grad Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:34 pm
=== Oh yea, we have a Cannabis Czar…===

That’s not *true*

We have a Food and Beverage Chairman, who was prior the Entertainment and Booking Chairman, and was going to *be* the Pot Czar but couldn’t…

I think they’re changing the title next month to Loading and Dock Chairman before others get too wise.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:37 pm
The Pritzker Administration did not fire enough of Rauner’s people, and this is the consequence.

Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 1:57 pm
=== The Pritzker Administration … Rauner’s people===

Personnel *is* policy.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:03 pm
-The Pritzker Administration did not fire enough of Rauner’s people-

Bruce Rauner is gone. He wasn’t even though very long and didn’t achieve much. Why not talk about Jim Thompson?

Comment by Adam Not An Ant Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:10 pm
Hynes is not a people person and never was. He is way in over his head but Pritzker is stuck with him. He’s in that spot because of Micheal Sachs and OBama so for sure JB will never get rid of him.

Comment by Hard D Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:12 pm
=== Bruce Rauner is gone.===

Some of his folks remain.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:13 pm
Hynes is not the only deputy governor with problems underneath him.

Comment by Thomas Paine Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:17 pm
-Some of his folks remain-

Jedi mind tricks from Rauner employees on weed in the very Blue state of Illinois.

Comment by Wanda from the 49th Ward Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:26 pm
Christian Mitchell also hasn’t handled the Tolllway that good either. Hiring over 20-25 executives from CHA and paying them between 150-200,000$ a year isn’t fiscally sound business. They have created more jobs at the tollway under Pritzker then any other Governors administration. The Daily Herald and Sun Times have both done articles on this and that issue will only get bigger as his next election gets closer.

Comment by Hard D Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:29 pm
Better birth that baby, Governor?

Why? Is a democrat going to challenge him? And what Republican could win statewide AND have the money to compete?

Comment by JSI Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:32 pm
===employees===

Appointees.

Now they are Pritzker’s

Personnel is policy.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:36 pm
Unless he picks up the pace, I actually do think he will have a primary opponent. Perhaps more than a couple of them.

Comment by Back to the Future Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:38 pm
JSI~ Ken Griffin for one and he’s worth more than Pritzker and if he dosent run he might throw millions at Ricketts or somebody else. Money won’t be a issue for the candidate Griffin picks JMO

Comment by Hard D Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:40 pm
=== I actually do think he will have a primary opponent===

Meh. The primary is where Frerichs should worry, not Pritzker.

A candidate that can tap into Griffin/Uihlein/Ricketts money… and clear the Raunerite field of extremists… and try to *seem* moderate in a Biden midterm.. it should be at least a mild concern

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:41 pm
If you add up the IDES affected voters, the nursing home families, Veterans groups, the progressives, the folks that participated and came up short in the cannabis deal, the Dem primary voters that didn’t vote for him in the first place as well as other people like the downstate police officers ( one board voted to sue today over the Pritzker’s pension laws) and you begin to see a pretty big base for a candidate in the Democratic primary.
Plenty of time to get the ship on course, but I do think his problems with governing the state need attending too.

Comment by Back to the Future Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 2:56 pm
I can’t imagine who would primary the governor. OW is correct. A moderate Republican with Griffin money is a legit threat…like I would put money on a R winning.

Comment by northside reformer Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:06 pm
Hynes and JB have a lot in common, one born into $, one born into politics. Seem like nice guys, but if their names were smith and jones, don’t think they’d be running anything.

Comment by Rutro Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:07 pm
=== you begin to see a pretty big base for a candidate in the Democratic primary.===

Not seeing it with how much money he has at this point.

That being said, the Covid vaccine, people going back to work and the Madigan situation could change things an awful lot. Who knows how the twists and turns of the next couple months could change the landscape of the State and our Democratic Party. Anyone who tells you that they know is a fool.

Comment by AD Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:11 pm
So deep state Raunerites are to blame? Did you type that with straight face Candy? Thanks for laugh but if Jay Bob has to rely on blaming Rauner he is in a bad place indeed.

Comment by Captain Obvious Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:37 pm
Governor:
Decide on cannabis already. The longer you wait, the more the story gets told for you instead of by you. By dragging this out you’re inviting more stories. Make a decision, get your Dep Gov a soft landing somewhere, bench Toi, and fix the process and move on. Geez.

Comment by northside reformer Monday, Dec 14, 20 @ 4:50 pm