Legislative Action
MOST PUBLIC discussion of legislative activity during the interim period between the close of the first session of the 79th General Assembly on July 2 and the opening of the "veto session" on October 22 focused on anticipation of attempts to override gubernatorial vetoes. Speculation centered on what budget reductions, if any, would be subjected to attempts at restoration of funds.
While this did point to the publicly more exciting aspects of legislative politics in Illinois, it overshadowed what, in the long run, is likely to be more significant activity in terms of the passage of important legislation in the near future. Many legislative committees and subcommittees were meeting to discuss proposals for major changes in public policy. These sessions came much closer to the heart of policy-making in Springfield than did the rhetoric which surrounded reduction vetoes and promises of restoration when the October session began.
The activity of standing committees and their subcommittees has long been recognized as the heart of policy development within the U.S. Congress. But this has not been the case in most states. It is only with the increasing complexity of policy problems dealt with by state legislatures and the broadening scope of state governmental programs and budgets that state legislative committees have begun to rival their counterparts in Congress. Thus, it is possible to view the numerous meetings and hearings of the summer and early autumn months as an indication of the policy areas where major proposals could surface during the 1976 session which begins the first Wednesday in January.
Senate committees
In the Senate, for example, the Education Committee held several meetings concerning the formula for funding public schools. This became a pressing problem with the reductions in the
appropriations legislation. In addition,
the governor called for a special session concurrent with the veto session
to deal with the problems of school funding.
The Senate Pensions and Personnel Committee also met to discuss many of the perennial problems faced by the various state employee retirement systems. The problems in this area are intensified by debates over the levels of state contributions to the various systems as well as the complexities of funding pension systems to guarantee that the increasing number of retired state employees can receive adequate benefits.
Two subcommittees of the Senate Finance and Credit Regulations Committee also met during the interim period discussing the areas of branch banking and variable rate mortgages. There has been ongoing debate over the desirability of allowing branch banking in Illinois, one of the few states which prohibits such activity. The discussion of mortgage rates seems to be an attempt at finding a way to avoid recurring debates over the usury rate. A fixed maximum interest rate on mortgages requires legislative action on a regular basis during periods of continuing inflation. Variable rates are being utilized in a handful of states and the proponents see this system as a means for insuring greater availability of mortgage money on a continuing basis by allowing the interest rates to fluctuate with money market conditions.
House committees
Committee activity in the House of
Representatives was far greater than in
the Senate. While the count is not complete, there were meetings of more than
38 subcommittees from at least 14 of
the standing committees of the House.
It is difficult at this time to determine
how many of these interim meetings actually will lead to consideration of bills
on the floor in the upcoming session.
One area that seems sure to yield a
committee bill is divorce reform where
a subcommittee of Judiciary I was
working to draft legislation agreeable to
both the Chicago and Illinois Bar Associations.
Judiciary II held hearings on the state's criminal justice system and is likely to respond to a legislative package that is forthcoming from the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission. In view of the stated opinions of the governor, this is one area where a great deal of controversy may be generated within the General Assembly early in 1976.
Numerous subcommittees of the House Revenue Committee dealt with legislation in the areas of sales tax, bingo and lotteries, the corporate personal property tax, and property tax reform. Among the topics discussed in subcommittees of the Human Resources Committee were health services, long term care, child welfare services, public assistance, and generic drugs. A joint subcommittee of the Human Resources and the Executive Committees heard testimony on the implementation of P.A. 78-1270 dealing with the problems of alcoholism.
The problem of school finance surfaced in discussions of a subcommittee of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. A subcommittee of the Executive Committee scheduled several meetings on the "public's right to know." Over 23 different bills were on the calendar of a subcommittee of the Personnel and Pensions Committee. In addition to the hearings on divorce reform, other subcommittees of Judiciary I dealt with legislation on landlord-tenant relations, medical malpractice, and probate.
This partial listing of the busy schedule of the Senate and House subcommittees serves to indicate the amount of work that the legislature has been carrying on in the period since the regular session ended. It has been a means to deal with the large number of bills placed on the study calendars (see Legislative Action, October) as well as a number of policy issues that are likely to be the focus of major legislative activity during the 1976 session. It is also an indication that, regardless of the wishes of the membership, the General Assembly is moving closer to becoming a full-time, year-round legislature. / L. S. C.
December 1975 / Illinois Issues / 377