Rauner now mum on abortion bill after earlier indication he’d veto
The legislation would lift restrictions on coverage of abortions by Medicaid and state employee insurance. It also would change a provision in
Rauner said he was "meeting with advocates on both sides of the issues raised in the bill and I'm meeting with legislators who are advocates of both sides of those issues in the bill and we are listening to their points of view."
But the governor would not say whether he would sign the bill into law if lawmakers followed through and sent it to him. Rauner's office said in April that he would veto the legislation.
"I have not received the bill, which is the most important thing," Rauner said Tuesday after a bill signing ceremony in which he approved legislation tightening restrictions and reporting requirements for civil asset forfeitures.
Earlier in the day during an appearance on Illinois Public Media radio, Rauner accused lawmakers of "playing political games" with the bill.
The bill passed both chambers in the spring, but sponsoring Sen.
Holding onto the bill also allows
Vetoing the bill, however, risks angering suburban moderates, a crucial voting bloc for the general election.
As a candidate, Rauner pledged to an abortion-rights political action committee that he was in favor of lifting restrictions on health care coverage for abortion under the state's Medicaid plan and under state employee health insurance, saying in a candidate questionnaire that he would "support a legislative effort to reverse that law."
Rauner's veto threat came in the spring, as the legislation was making its way through the
In May, Rauner said on
Of the changes to restrictions on taxpayer funding of abortions, Rauner accused Democratic House Speaker
"We're one of the more progressive states," Rauner said at the time. "I support that. I want to protect that. But the bill goes further and expands taxpayer funding in a way that only two other states have. That's very divisive, it's very controversial. That part, I don't think makes sense to do now."
Cosgrove said on
"That's my view of what should happen and currently the view of the sponsors and the people in control of the legislation," he said.
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