Even in the best of times, progress comes slowly to much of the south suburbs. But action by the Illinois General Assembly has set off a land rush in communities that often get the brush-off from developers.

When state lawmakers endorsed a sweeping expansion of gambling, most attention focused on the license granted to Chicago. The same bill, however, could bring two gambling complexes to the south suburbs.

City officials are sifting through hundreds of pages of state legislation and plan to hire a point person to help navigate high-stakes waters to land a long-sought casino.

Mayor Tom McNamara said legislation granting the city permission to establish a casino encompasses more than 800 pages. It includes a lengthy section with rules governing ethics and prohibiting conflicts of interest. McNamara said that with so much information to digest and the city’s legal staff already stretched thin, a point person will be designated to drive the city through what he promises will be a public process to choose a casino location and operator.

Decades of profligate spending, unkept pension promises and a state constitution that is resistant to reform have brought us to this: Illinois is in the running for sin-tax capital of the nation.

With the adoption of recreational marijuana and a frenzied expansion of gambling—sports betting, new casinos and “racinos,” a doubling of gambling positions—Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state lawmakers took two big steps toward solving the state’s fiscal distress by taxing the habits and vices of residents and visitors.

Funding for nursing homes serving the state’s most vulnerable elderly populations will increase by $240 million next fiscal year as part of the state’s recently passed budget.

Of that $240 million, which will be split between the state and federal government, $70 million will be directly appropriated to help nursing homes meet minimum staffing requirements. An additional $170 million will update the reimbursement formula for support costs such as food, utilities, maintenance and equipment.

More than $100 million has been set aside for renovations at the Illinois State Armory in the hopes the historic — yet vacant and deteriorating — downtown Springfield building can become usable again.

A total of $122 million was included in the $45 billion capital plan, approved by lawmakers at the end of the spring session, for “renovation of the Armory, and other capital improvements.”