SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Latest on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address (all times local):
12:30 p.m.
Gov. Bruce Rauner says he’s “investigating the possibility” of replacing the plumbing at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy which has harbored Legionnaire’s disease for two years. His administration has been criticized for the response that has contributed to the deaths of 13 residents and sickened many residents and staff members.
Rauner said earlier this month that he would replace the plumbing system. That was after he spent a week staying at the home to get a look at operations there. Legionnaire’s is a pneumonia-like illness that is caused by bacteria in water vapor that is inhaled.
The governor said Jan. 10 that he had decided to replace the plumbing at the 200-acre site. But in his State of the State address Wednesday, he stopped short of that. He also says a new dormitory could be built there.
___
12:25 p.m.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is signing an executive order to improve the reporting process for victims of sexual harassment.
The order creates a chief compliance office and requires reviews of harassment allegations in 10 days or less.
Rauner made the statement as part of his annual State of the State address. He says the #MeToo movement to stop sexual harassment last fall revealed shortcomings in the process under the Capitol dome.
It included an allegation by a legislative activist of sexual harassment against a state senator. The legislative inspector general found no evidence of harassment but said the senator acted unprofessionally.
Rauner says “transparency and accountability were sacrificed for optics and speed.”
___
9 a.m.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is set to give his fourth State of the State address.
The Republican incumbent gives the speech at the state Capitol on Wednesday afternoon as he faces a Republican opponent in March’s primary election. And he addresses a state Legislature controlled by Democrats who bested him in a showdown last summer that ended a two-year budget impasse.
Rauner focused on job creation and fixing pensions and property taxes in a piece he wrote published Wednesday in The (Springfield) State Journal-Register ahead of the annual address. In it he says “we need to overcome the politics and unite behind a jobs agenda” in the upcoming legislative session.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.