A bill to re-open the Hardin County Work Camp passed out of committee Thursday and is headed to the House floor.
The bill's sponsor, State Representative Brandon Phelps, says he had to do something to try and save one of Hardin County's largest employers in the aftermath of Governor Rauner's insistence on closing it.
"I thought it was awful for him to even want to close that. So, the only weapon that I really had was filing legislation to keep it open."
While Phelps is happy the bill is headed to the House floor, the Harrisburg democrat doesn't believe the republican Rauner will sign the measure even if it reaches his desk.
Phelps says Hardin County is already an economically depressed area, and losing these jobs won't help that situation.
But, Rauner's administration says it is allowing work camp employees to transfer to the Shawnee or Vienna Correctional Centers.