Contents
June 1993
Illinois
Issues
|
Vol. XIX No. 6
Established 1975
|
June 1993/Illinois Issues/5
Published by Sangamon State University/
cosponsored by the University of Illinois
Readers:
Well, did they or didn't they? As we
were going to press, the verdict was still
out on whether the legislature would
meet its new deadline of adjourning by
the end of May, one month earlier than
usual. Veterans of the legislative process
have been skeptical, with plenty of
scoffing, doubting and head shaking.
Perhaps the calendar watching has
deflected too much attention from more
important matters this spring. A few
months and a year from now, it won't
matter when this legislative session
ended. What will count is how the
lawmakers and the governor handled tax
issues, education, and so on.
So in this issue, we want to help keep
you focused on critical issues facing the
state. Our Statehouse bureau chief,
Jennifer Halperin, probes the Department
of Mental Health and Developmental
Disabilities and discusses with director
Jess McDonald whether anybody really
knows the best way to treat mentally ill
patients. Are the patients better off now
that most of the large old mental
institutions have closed? Is the state
better off? In her article, Halperin
explores these questions that are
constantly being asked around the state.
Before the 1994 campaign season
kicks off in earnest, we thought it would
be beneficial to take a good look at
Roland Burris. There will be plenty of
time in the months to come to listen to
the campaign rhetoric from those lining
up to run for the state's constitutional
offices next year. So today's feature on
Burris, a likely Democratic gubernatorial
candidate, focuses on his record and
issues inherent in the attorney general's
office.
A final note: If you haven't yet ordered
your completely updated 1993 Roster of
State Government Officials, a wonderful
directory of addresses and phone
numbers of the state's constitutional
officers, legislators and agencies and
their staffs, you will want one. And if you
haven't sent Illinois Issues a donation this
year, please consider doing so. Our goal
is $30,000 (a significant portion of our
budget), and we need your support, just
as public radio and television do. Thanks
in advance for whatever you can give.
Ads explaining how to buy a Roster and
how to make a donation are inside this
issue.
June 1993/Illinois Issues/3