Illinois draws one step closer to marijuana decriminalization.

[Snarkoleptic]

I'm no fan of Rauner and he's watered down the decrim bill that passed both houses in Springfield, but it's very nearly a done deal and will be a step in the right direction.
OTOH, he undermined the MMJ law by decreasing it's extension from 4 years to 4 months after the first dispensary is licensed.

http://www.thedailychronic.net/2015/46111/gov-rauners-amendatory-veto-sends-illinois-marijuana-decriminalization-bill-back-to-general-assembly-for-final-approval/

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto Friday of a bill that would remove criminal penalties for possession of small amount of marijuana, sending it back to the General Assembly for final approval.

The General Assembly has 15 days from the next session date to approve the amended version of House Bill 218, which needs to receive a simple majority vote in the House and then the Senate to officially become law.

--snip--

Gov. Rauner’s amended version of HB 218 would make possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana a civil law violation punishable by a fine of up to $200 with no possibility of jail time, and the civil offense would be automatically expunged in order to prevent a permanent criminal record. The original version applied to possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana and set the amount of the fine at up to $125.

Under current Illinois law, possession of up to 2.5 grams of marijuana is a class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,500, and possession of more than 2.5 grams and up to 10 grams is a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,500.

[mopinko]

1. i wonder if they can override.

sponsors of the bill are not happy.

[Snarkoleptic]

2. There are Democratic supermajorities, so that could be a reality.

.

[mopinko]

3. bout time he found out how it works.

good a bill as any to cram down his throat.

[murielm99]

4. I thought the state government

was still shut down. How is this happening?

[mopinko]

5. the budget is doa, but the lege is still in session.

not sure how many days a week they are in session, but they have been doing a few days. still grumbling about what should live on while they argue about a budget, and passing something now and again to keep the logs all rolling.