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
The governor scored well in this area. S.B. 285 (McCarthy, D., Decatur), now Public Act 79-80, and H.B. 1654—P.A. 79-98 (Giorgi, D., Rockford), increased unemployment compensation benefits; S.B. 234, broadening the Occupational Diseases Act, has become law (P.A. 79-78), and so has S.B. 235, broadening the Workmen's Compensation Act (P.A. 79-79). H.B. 650 (Stubblefield, D., Rockford), to prohibit use of strikebeakers, was passed by both houses and sent to the governor. H .B. 3024 (Labor and Commerce Committee) amending the Minimum Wage Law also was sent to the governor.

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
He urged legislation to eliminate abuses in consumer credit, auto repairs, and in other service fields. S.B. 849 (Netsch, D., Chicago), a Fair Consumer Credit Reporting Act, was tabled, H.B. 1957 (Williams, D., Franklin Park), an Automotive Repair Act, was sent to the House study calendar (Veterans' Affairs, Registration and Regulation Committee). H.B. 2138 (Willer, D., Hillside), a Consumer Warranty Act, failed on passage stage in the Senate. H.B. 2348 (McPartlin, D., Chicago), to regulate those servicing home appliances, went to the study calendar (House Executive Committee).

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
Gov. Walker urged the legislature to "give a true no-fault insurance bill to the automobile owners of this state," and a "no-fault" bill, S.B. 1500 (Senate insurance and Licensed Activities Committee), passed both houses and was on the desk of the secretary of the Senate, awaiting Senate action on House amendments, when the session ended.

Privacy
The governor called for laws to "preserve the confidentiality and assure the accuracy of student records, credit reports and state government files relating to individual citizens." H.B. 1884 (J. M. Houlihan, D., Chicago), a Student Records Act, passed both houses and was sent to the governor. S.B. 960

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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
A recommendation to reform the rape laws was implemented by passage in both houses of H.B. 271 (Jaffe, D., Skokie), the Rape Victims Emergency Treatment Act.

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
The governor asked that revisions of the Mental Health Code recommended by a governor's commission be implemented. No bills were introduced.

Reorganization
Governor Walker suggested a new Department of Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing to replace the Department of Registration and Education and establishing a Consumer Advocate in the department, but H.B. 1773 (Rayson, D., Tinley Park) was tabled; H.B, 1889 (J. M. Houlihan, D., Chicago) was sent to the House study calendar. Veterans' Affairs Registration and Regulation Committee, and H.B. 1890 (also by Houlihan) got as far as the Senate but failed at passage stage.

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
Governor Walker favored longer voting hours: H.B. 1799 (Bradley, D., Bloomington) was tabled. He urged adoption of the postcard registration system: H.B. 2533 (Giorgi, D., Rockford) was held for the study calendar (House Elections Committee).

Equal Rights Amendment
The governor urged adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This tailed in the Senate.

Judiciary
The governor recommended a constitutional amendment on merit selection of judges be submitted to the voters: Senate Joint Resolution (Constitutional Amendment) 20 was in the Senate Executive Committee when the session ended, and the House version, H.J.R. 1, was tabled.

Discrimination
The governor recommended that the Fair Employment Practices Commission be given the power to initiate complaints: H.B. 87 (Davis, D., Chicago) passed both houses and was sent to the governor.

Budget reform
Governor Walker asked for creation of a joint executive-legislative task force to recommend changes in budget procedures. No bill was identified.

Ethics and personnel
The governor suggested that his executive order relating to ethics be extended throughout state government. H.B. 1818 (Rayson. D., Tinley Park), creating a Board of Ethics Act, was placed on the House study calendar (Judiciary I Committee).

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).

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