SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — It will take a little more time than originally anticipated, but the passage of most agriculture-related pieces of legislation pending in Illinois likely will make it to the governor’s desk for signing before the end of the year, industry supporters say.

 

Of the ag bills introduced in the legislature this session – which expired May 31 but has been extended through June 30 in a special session mainly for lawmakers to pass a full budget – one already has been sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner for his expected signoff.

That measure, called the Illinois Food Freedom Bill, allows producers to sell any harvested or homemade food product except for non-poultry meats to an informed consumer for home use only.

Another bill expands the cottage food industry; called the Local Food Business Opportunities bill, it expands the types of homemade food products allowed at farmers’ markets, as well as making consistent certain sanitation regulations from county to county. That bill already has unanimously passed the state Senate and is awaiting House approval before the end of the month.

All the measures are considered by supporters, chief among them the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, as legislation that will help create new small businesses and spur more rural economic development, said Alliance Executive Director Rebecca Osland.

While the state’s fiscal situation remains dire because of a two-year stretch without a spending plan and a backlog of bills that exceeds $14.92 billion, lawmakers have considered and acted on more than 700 pieces of legislation.

Osland believes the budget standoff has had the effect of lawmakers paying even more attention to the ag bills primarily because of their perceived economic

benefit.

“We have had a lot of interest in this legislation from farmers, and particularly from legislators, and we’re very appreciative of that,” Osland said. “I’d have to say that because of that state’s budget situation, members have taken particular interest in these bills because they we’re talking about creating new business owners, and increasing sales.”

The bill that has received plenty of attention this session is a measure that gives the Illinois Department of Agriculture the authority to issue permits to individual farmers so they can grow industrial hemp. Senators in May unanimously approved that bill; opposition from the state’s medical marijuana industry surfaced during a recent hearing before the House’s Agriculture and Conservation Committee.

The state’s medical marijuana program began in 2014, and it is one of the most  regulated industries in Illinois. Representatives expressed concern that products made from lower levels of CBD, or cannabidiol, found in industrial hemp would not face the same stringent regulations the medical industry faces when it makes products with CBD from marijuana plants.

While research is still scant, products containing CBD are believed by some to hold medicinal value.

Hemp that contains more than a trace of TCH, or tetrahydrocannibinol – the psychoactive element more prevalent in marijuana – would not be allowed to be grown, under the hemp bill.

Osland said she believes once House members work out oversight procedures regarding CBD products, the bill will pass the chamber during this year’s fall veto session. “Things still look pretty promising with that bill,” she explained.