Bill Summaries

Education
H.B. 3804, Committee on Higher Education. Revises definition of territory which can be annexed to a community college district.
H.B. 3848, Committee on Elementary Education. Eliminates roll back provisions and permits school districts, after referendum, to levy maximum tax rate without state aid penalty.
H.B. 3904, Committee on Elementary Education. Allows a district to include transportation tax in determining its operating rate. Elections
H.B. 3844, Committee on Elections. Provides for political party central committees to nominate candidates to fill vacancies in certain county offices.

Environment
S.B. 193, Sommer, R., Morton. Provides that the Pollution Control Board cannot regulate noise at sporting events.

Health
H.B. 3860, Jacobs, D,, East Moline. Creates a Division of Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired under the Board of Vocational Education and Rehabilitation.
H.B. 3853, Committee on Human Resources. Permits a pharmacist to substitute a drug which is of the same generic name as the prescription requires unless a doctor directs otherwise. Ethics
H.B. 3842, Epton, R., Chicago. Prohibits a legislator from voting in committee or on the floor on a bill in which there is a personal interest unless the interest is first disclosed.

Insurance
H.B. 3897, Mulcahey. D., Durand. Permits county and township mutual fire and lightning insurance companies to write policies for wind- storm and hail damage.

Juveniles
The Committee on Judiciary II sponsored the following: H.B. 3869. Makes adjustments in the handling of Juvenile records to protect their privacy.
H.B. 3870. Creates a Youthful Offender Division in the Department of Corrections.
H.B. 3872. Changes definition of a neglected minor to include a child whose parents, guardian or custodian is not available to assume his or her responsibilities.
H.B. 3875. Removes a child from the custody "'parents, guardians or custodians because of unfit conduct that endangers physical or mental health.
H.B. 3877. Limits the consent powers of court appointed guardians for major medical, psychiatric and surgical treatment to emergency situations or with court consent.
H.B. 3882. Provides that a minor ward of the court is eligible for services from the Department of Children and Family Services after adoption. Public Aid
S.B. 1923, Mohr, R., Forest Park. Requires recipients of general assistance to perform public service work for local government.

State Fair
H.B. 3858, Committee on Agriculture. Repeals 1965 act creating the State Fair agency. Provides for an interim 15-member board to administer the fair and sets provisions for establishing a permanent board.

Transportation
S.B. 1784, Glass, R., Northfield. Provides a grant program of S30 million per year to counties and road districts for bridge construction. Unemployment Insurance
H.B. 3905, Giorgi, D., Rockford. Requires that eligibility for unemployment insurance and records of claim status be handled locally. Workmen's Compensation
S.B. 1663, Roe, R. Rochelle. Excludes cover- age of farm workers.
S.B. 1749, Bell, R., Joliet. Establishes a Residual Market Plan to provide coverage to all workmen's compensation applicants meeting legal and regulatory requirements including those rejected for insurance in the voluntary market.
S.B. 1775, McCarthy, D., Decatur. Clarifies agricultural employment and limits widow benefits under the Workmen's Compensation and Occupational Diseases Act.
S.B. 1814, Graham, R., Barrington. Provides for partial payment of public pension benefits when eligibility under the Occupational Disease Act is determined.

Other
H.B. 3862, Skinner, R., Crystal Lake. Authorizes $2,000,000 of bonds for state grants to construct public libraries.
H.B. 3923, Younge, D., East St. Louis. Provides for summons of jurors by mail.
S.B. 1590, Vadalabene, D., Edwardsville. Creates Madison County Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium Authority and authorizes sale of general obligation and revenue bonds without referendum if the general obligation bonds do not exceed 1½ per cent of the county's assessed evaluation.
S.B. 1591, Vadalabene, D., Edwardsville. Amends Horse Racing Act of 1975 and the Fair and Exposition Authority Reconstruction Act to provide that horse racing privilege taxes be paid into the Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Fund when all bonds issued under the Reconstruction Act are paid. It also limits the total amount of outstanding bonds to $75,000,000 and provides for the transfer of excess funds to the General Revenue Fund. ž

A question of ethics for the legislature

If adopted, the amendments would forbid legislators to (1) accept compensation from any other governmental entity; (2) vote on a bill on which they have a conflict of interest resulting from a personal, family or financial interest; and (3) receive prepayment of their salaries in advance of performance of duties. The legislators moved during May to pass a bill which would provide for future payment of their salaries on a monthly or semimonthly basis, thus seeking to eliminate the need for the last of the three amendments.

But a taxpayer's suit was filed May 28 to get the amendments off the ballot. Six delegates and one staff member of the Constitutional Convention filed the suit in Cook County Circuit Court asking for a court order to restrain the State Board of Elections and other election officials from spending any funds to place the "Political Honesty" initiative on the November ballot. Their contention is that Article IV, section 3 of the 1970 Constitution is limited to initiative action changing only legislative structural and procedural subjects, and that the proposed amendments do not fall into the limited category.

The plaintiffs in the case are former Constitutional Convention delegates Elmer Gertz of Chicago, Thomas McCracken and Lucy Reum of suburban Cook County, Louis Perona of Spring Valley, Maurice Scott of Springfield, Elbert Smith of Decatur, and Con Con research assistant Ann Lousin of Chicago.

The proposal with respect to legislators drawing compensation from different governments was analyzed in the May issue of this magazine ("Double-Dipping: Should lawmakers have to give up their second public jobs?" p. 3). So far, there have been no mass resignations of legislators who are also officers or employees of local governments. ž

July 1976/ Illinois Issues/ 27