BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: A four-hour House Democratic Caucus meeting in Springfield was so contentious that a member of Gov. JB Pritzker’s team left in tears and the hemp legislation that was at the center of the debate is now on hold. Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t pleased — in part because the bill that he says will keep kids safe has flopped, but also because Democrats in their behind-closed-doors meeting were “disrespectful” to the state agency officials who attended the meeting, according to two people familiar with the discussion. At issue: The bill that had already passed the Senate would, among other things, bar the sale of hemp products that are manufactured by converting naturally derived CBD into other compounds like Delta-8 THC. It's a divisive issue within the caucus. “Gov. Pritzker is disappointed that lawmakers failed to take bipartisan, common sense action to protect children and the public from unregulated and untested hemp products,” the governor’s office said in a written statement. “The governor is never beholden to special interests and will always put people, especially children, over politics and profits.” That last line might be a dig at House lawmakers who have taken donations from Charles Wu, the head of the Illinois Hemp Business Association that has opposed the measure. How it started: During Monday’s caucus meeting, two members from state agencies defended the bill and took questions. Their appearance in the meeting was unusual given the caucus usually conducts business behind closed doors. The guests weren’t prepared for the grilling, according to one legislator. The governor’s team felt they were “berated.” But two others called it a “robust" and "raucous" debate. “There were robust, substantive conversations about the practical implications of the bill and the implications of not passing the bill,” said House Assistant Majority Leader Kam Buckner, who carried the legislation. Counting votes: Leading up to the caucus meeting, Pritzker’s team thought it had the 60 votes that House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch requires before he sends a bill to the floor. But the hemp bill didn’t get to 60. One person familiar with the debate says a few legislators told Pritzker they’d vote for the measure but then pulled back when they were in the caucus meeting. Pritzker had been lobbying hard for support — and even held a dinner Sunday with some lawmakers to pitch the legislation. Now the bill is dead for this lame-duck session that ends today, and up in the air for the new session that starts Wednesday. Complicating the issue was Mayor Brandon Johnson, who didn’t take a stand on the bill until just a few days ago when his team said it wanted the city to have jurisdiction on hemp so it can benefit from it as a revenue source. That could have happened anyway. More details from the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner, Jake Sheridan and Robert McCoppin ALSO IN SPRINGFIELD Decatur is in line for a horse racing track under bill in the works: “The proposed development would also include a casino with 900 gaming positions and could potentially include a 60,000-square-foot sports complex, according to officials briefed on the plans,” by Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore. House sends measure to aid relatives of kids in DCFS care to governor, by the Tribune’s Addison Wright “Karina’s Bill,” which would change the state’s order of protection law and require law enforcement to take away guns in certain domestic violence cases, passed the Senate on Monday and is expected to pass the House today.
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