Gov. Bruce Rauner is telling state lawmakers to hurry up and pass legislation centered around the Legionnaire's crisis at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy.
There have been several outbreaks of Legionnaire’s disease at the home since 2015, resulting in 13 deaths and dozens of other people getting sick.
Rauner said during a stop in Quincy this week that an appropriations bill before the legislature would set aside 230-million dollars to build a new residential facility at the Veterans Home.
He says another $16 million would be made available for campus and water quality improvements as well as emergency projects.
“We need that bill to pass," Rauner said. "We run the risk, if the general assembly continues to move slowly, and so far, they haven’t, that bill should have been sent to my desk already. If we wait too long, we run the risk of losing significant federal funds.”
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says he wants more details on Rauner’s plan before agreeing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on it.
Madigan says for three years Rauner “failed to act, attempted to shift blame, and hide the truth” about the problem.
A spokesperson for the Governor says Democrats should “clearly articulate” questions they have.
