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Court rules Ill. public works plan is legal

The Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield, Ill.
(via Flickr/lilhelen)
The Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield, Ill.

The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld a law that created a $31 billion statewide construction program.

It unanimously rejected arguments that lawmakers improperly mixed together different issues in a single piece of legislation.

The court on Monday said all parts of the law had "a natural and logical connection" to the public works program.

The case involves a plan lawmakers approved in 2009. They decided to pay for the construction by raising taxes on liquor and candy, as well as legalizing video gambling at bars and truck stops.

The projects have created construction jobs across Illinois.

Chicago Blackhawks owner and liquor distributor Rocky Wirtz challenged the law. An appeals court agreed with him that it violated a requirement that laws must be limited to just one topic.