Governor Bruce Rauner came to the University of Illinois’ Urbana-Champaign campus Wednesday to sign a bill streamlining the procurement process for state institutions. The bill (SB 8) regulates purchases throughout state government. But the measure is one that state universities have particularly wanted to speed up the process of purchasing goods and equipment.

State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) wants to tie restoration of state higher education funding to procurement reform that would streamline how public bodies buy or obtain goods and services.

Illinois public colleges and universities have become collateral damage in the state’s months-long budget impasse, fueled by political stalemate between Illinois’ Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and the Democratically controlled General Assembly. Rauner says he’s willing to consider more state revenue to pay for support to items like public colleges and universities…but only if the Democratically controlled General Assembly passes his pro-business, union-weakening “Turnaround Agenda “ first.