USA – Illinois governor Pat Quinn has vetoed the cost-cutting McCormick Place reform bill, and sent it back to the Illinois General Assembly for changes.
Quinn said at a news conference that he was concerned with a number of perceived flaws in the bill, particularly the constitutionality of naming a specific individual, James Reilly, to run McCormick Place and a lack of adequately-streamlined union jurisdictions. The governor also opposed a planned increase of the tax on ground transportation from Chicago’s airports and the failure of the measure to comply with the state Procurement Code.
Quinn urged the legislature to move quickly to revamp the legislation before the Memorial Day holiday.
“The General Assembly has taken only half a step toward reforming our state’s convention industry,” Quinn said in his amendatory veto message to the legislature. “When it comes to reform, half measures do not suffice. The only real reform is comprehensive reform.”
Organisers of several major exhibitions had warned the governor that failing to sign the bill would increase the chances their events would be moved to other, less costly cities.
In an email to Quinn, show executives for the International Housewares Association’s International Home and Housewares Show said: “The lack of signature to this bill will ultimately send us and other vitally important trade show business elsewhere.”
