Even if the Governor doesn’t sign the Craft Brewer License updates into law, not all is lost.
UPDATE: With just over 12 days to spare, Governor Rauner signed HB3237 into law on the afternoon of Monday, August 24.
On July 8th, the Illinois Legislature sent HB3237, authorizing changes to the Craft Brewers License structure and changing rules about distributor social media, to the desk of Governor Rauner.
Since then, it has sat untouched.
The state has more pressing matters, of course – we still don’t have a budget, for example. But you’d think legislation that passed with massive bipartisan support and helps small businesses throughout the state would be something that they’d want to move on quickly, right? Guess not.
The good news? Even if the Governor does absolutely nothing, it will still become law.
Some Illinois civics for you: Once a bill reaches the Governor’s desk, there are three options. Sign it, send it back, or let it sit. If it is untouched for 60 days, the bill automatically becomes law. (More details on all that here.)
Assuming this is the option Governor Rauner chooses to take, Labor Day could be a sort of holiday for another reason. With the bill being sent on July 8th, the end of that 60-day window falls on Sunday, September 6. On Monday the 7th, the changes would kick in.
Let’s countdown to the automatic bill approval!
If the bill is signed before the end of the window, we will update the post accordingly.