The state of the State
What happened to the governor's legislative program?
HOW DO YOU score a governor on Ins legislative program? In February, Gov. Dan Walker laid a 36-point program before the legislature (Illinois Issues. May. p. 155-6). Now that the legislature has recessed until fall, should the governor be scored on the basis of the number of his recommendations passed by the legislature? In this case, he would score under 25 per cent, and by the usual classroom passing grade of 70, this is failing. Or should some account be taken of the nature of his proposals: if they were difficult to pass—like motor vehicle "no fault" insurance, for example—should allowance be made for this?
Or, to take a different tack, is it the governor who should be scored—or the legislature? Is the governor to be likened to a teacher and the legislature to the students? If so, then the legislature, not the governor, should be scored, in which case the 25 per cent mark is chalked up against the lawmakers.
The governor's program did well in the areas of labor law, privacy, and discrimination, and showed partial successes in the areas of personal safety and judicial administration, in other areas, such as no-fault insurance, a bill is pending between the two houses, awaiting agreement. But in areas such as consumer protection, state agency reorganization, electoral reform, and ethics and personnel, none of his proposals was implemented. And, of course, ERA (the Equal Rights Amendment to the federal Constitution), which he backed, did not win Senate approval. Some bills, which would implement the governor's program, are in committee and may emerge in the fall session—but this is unlikely. Others were sent to the study calendar, for action next year. By all indications, legislative leaders will try to limit next year's session to budget matters.
Labor
Many bills were introduced to enact a public employees labor relations law. Some were tabled, some failed when brought to a vote, and others remain alive in committee.
Consumer protection
The governor asked for "fair treatment for tenants, mobile home dwellers and condominium purchasers." A new Landlord and Tenant Act, S.B. 909 (Netsch, D., Chicago), remains in the Senate Judiciary Committee. H.B. 1907, a Trailer Park Dwellers' Rights Act (Stubblefield, D., Rockford), passed the House and was in the Senate Executive Appointments and Administration Committee when the session ended.
The governor urged legislation to require prescriptions for the sale of hearing aids. H.B. 2277 (White, D., Chicago) was sent to the House study calendar (Human Resources Committee). He proposed that prescriptions be made out in the name of generic drugs. S.B. 848 (Netsch, D., Chicago) was tabled. Similar bills, H.B. 2245 and 2246 (Marovitz, D., Chicago, and Berman, D., Chicago) got as far as third reading (passage stage) in the House and ran into trouble. H.B. 2245 was tabled, and H.B. 2246 was sent to the study calendar (Human Resources Committee).
S.B. 1253 (Netsch, D., Chicago) requiring open-shelf dating in stores was tabled. A similar bill, H.B. 1783 (Chapman, D., Arlington Heights), made it to the Senate where it was still in the Public Health, Welfare and Corrections Committee at the end of the session.
Insurance
Privacy
October 1975 / Illinois Issues / 311
The state of the State
(Netsch, D., Chicago), a Personal Records Privacy Act, remained in the Senate Executive Committee as the spring session ended.
Personal safety
The governor also asked for the establishment of a "professional, statewide probation system," but the bill to establish it, H.B. 900 (Duff, R., Wilmette), was held over for the House study calendar (Judiciary II Committee). H.B. 2716 (Catania, R., Chicago), a new act in relation to state aid for probation services, passed the House and was in the Senate Judiciary Committee as the session ended.
The governor asked that legislation be passed to require that "persons accused of crimes be brought to trial in 60 days." No bills doing this were identified.
The governor also asked that bail procedures be tightened. H.B. 53 (Shea, D., Chicago), providing for higher bail for defendants charged with murder and similar crimes, was tabled on recommendation of the House Judiciary II Committee.
Mental health
Reorganization
The governor recommended consumer representatives be placed on all licensing boards: H.B. 2355 (Katz, D., Glencoe) got to the Senate but was tabled there.
The governor wanted to change the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation into a code department: H.B. 3102 (Elementary and Secondary Education Committee) made it to the Senate where it was in committee at the end of session.
The governor proposed placing functions of comprehensive health planning in the Department of Public Health: H.B. 1593 (E. M. Barnes, D., Chicago) went to the House study calendar (Human Resources Committee).
An independent property tax commission was recommended. Bills to do this were tabled or still in committee as the session ended: S.B. 754 (Clarke, R., Western Springs) in Senate Revenue Committee; H.B. 2301 (Beaupre, D., Kankakee) tabled; and H.B. 2351 (Maragos, D., Chicago) to the study calendar (House Revenue Committee). In addition two such bills had been introduced by the House Revenue Committee, H.B. 3008, which had been tabled, and H.B. 3016, still in committee as the session ended.
The governor favored consolidating the "fragmented functions dealing with nuclear safety." No bill was identified.
Electoral reform
Equal Rights Amendment
Judiciary
Discrimination
Budget reform
Ethics and personnel
Governor Walker asked that "loopholes in the existing campaign disclosure law" be closed. Two broad campaign finance laws were not enacted. S.B. 9 (Donnewald, D., Breese) was sent back to the Senate Executive Committee before the session ended; S.B. 12 (Regner, R., Mount Prospect) was tabled.
The governor proposed to extend "civil service protection... to employees of all executive offices and major independent boards." S.B. 1324 (Buzbee, D., Carbondale), revising the law in relation to personnel administration, failed at passage stage, and S.B. 464 (Berning. R., Deerfield), which was similar, was tabled.
The governor urged legislation to require disclosure of land trust beneficiaries: H.B. 2024 (Holewinski, D., Chicago) was sent to the House study calendar (Executive Committee).
312 / Illinois Issues / October 1975