What WAS planned by legislative leaders as a sessionlargely limited to budget and fiscal matters was expanded to consider a variety of issues. Below are summaried significant bills that passed both houses and were sent to the governor, as well as some significant bills that failed. Names of sponsors in both houses are given, separated by a slash (/). When bills were introduced by a committee, the chairman's name follw the committee designation. Individual votes are listed in Roll Calls on page 26 for selected bills noted in Bill Summaries.
Bill Summaries
Y=Yes; N=No; P=Present
Roll Calls on bills as noted in summaries are on page 26. Bills need majority vote to discharge bill from committee and to pass in each chamber (Senate =30; House 89). After June 30. bill needs three-fifths majority to be effective immediately (Senate=36; House=107). No roll call taken when consideration of bill postponed (did not receive sufficient voles for passage).
Business regulation Workmen's compensation
S.B. 1967, Labor and Commerce Com., Savickas/ Hill. A response to
employers' criticism of 1975 legislation (see June 1976, p. 3ff.),
this bill apparently satisfied neither business nor labor by limiting benefits,
narrowing the definition of an occupational disease, and slightly extending
exemptions. Passed Senate June 15,43Y IN 13P. Passed House June 25,
133Y IN 8P. Senate concurrence in amendments June 28, 39Y 15N IP.
S.B. 1749, Philip/Schuneman. Added provisions to provide insurance for employers rejected for coverage, embodying provisions in H.B. 3604, Kane, which was left in Senate Rules Committee. S.B. 1749 passed the Senate June 26, 43Y 2N 7P. Passed House June 30, 146Y ON IP. Senate concurrence in amendments June 30, 40Y 6N2P.
Bills supported by employers, H.B. 3664-3676, Deavers, and S.B. 1812-1827, were in committee as the session ended.
Minimum wage law
H.B. 3318, Hanahan/ Lemke. Conforms minimum
wages with federal law. Passed House June 16,111Y 48N IP.
Passed Senate (see Senate Roll Call 1) June 26, 45Y
ON 10P (D., 32Y ON OP; R., 13Y ON 10P). House
(see House Roll Call 7)
adopted Senate amendments in conference report June 30,
122Y 14N 4P (D., 91Y 3N IP; R., 20Y 45N OP).
Unemployment insurance
H.B. 3640-3642, Walsh. Would have
broadened disqualification of claimants.
A motion to discharge these bills from committee
failed in House (see House Roll Call 8) June 23, 77Y 79N OP
(D., 7Y 79N OP; R., 70Y ON OP). Interest rates
S.B. 1719, Vadalabene/ Kane. Ceiling on residential mortgage interest rates set 2/2 percent above monthly index of long term U.S. Government Bond yields. Passed Senate June 11, 38Y IN IP. Passed House June 25, 103Y 33N 19P.
Residential mortgages
H.B. 3115, Com. on Banks and Savings and Loans,
Leon/ McCarthy. A new residential mortgage and foreclosure
law, which passed the House last year, was passed by the Senate
(see Senate Roll Call 2) May 20 this year, 33Y 16N 3P
(D., 28Y 3N OP; R., 5Y 13N 3P); but the bill was still in
conference committee as the sesston ended.
Banking
H.B. 1955, Keller-Hart-Choate/Daley-Moore.
Allows banks to expand services away from home
locations, but not to establish full branches.
Passed both houses.
S.B. 2010 and S.B. 2011, Daley/ D.L. Houlihan. Strengthens confidential status-of bank and savings and loan records. Passed both houses.
Elections
H.B. 3844, Com. on Elections, Laurino/ Bloom.
Allows county party committees to nominate candidates
for county offices instead of using a special primary.
Both houses accepted the governor's amendatory veto recommendations.
Judges
H.B. 3825, D. L. Houlihan/Rock.
Adds 15 more judges for circuits of over
500,000 population. Passed both houses.
Local government
Bills passing both houses and sent to the governor included:
H.B. 3555, Lucco/ Dougherty. Increases salary ranges for coroners.
H.B. 3948, Choate/ Buzbee. Creates Jackson-Union County Regional Port District.
H.B. 3973, Corn. on Cities and Villages, Taylor/ K. Hall. Depressed areas land use act.
S.B. 1590, Vadalabene/Tuerk. Creates Madison County Metropolitan Exposition Authority.
S.B. 1591, Vadalabene/Tuerk. State aid for downstate civic centers in Peoria, Springfield, Rockford, Aurora, Madison-St. Clair counties, Decatur and Danville.
Medical malpractice
Two major bills attempting to deal with the rising costs of malpractice insurance were passed:
H.B. 3957, Com. on Judiciary I, Washington/ Partee, making several changes.
H.B. 3958, Com. on Judiciary 1, Washington/ Partee, an arbitration act.
HJR 104, Washington. Creates a joint committee to continue to study the problem. Adopted by both houses. Public health and welfare
Nursing homes
H.B. 3838, Com. on Human Resources, Chapman/Netsch. Requires nursing homes to submit financial data to director of public health. Passed both houses.
H.B. 3891, Corn. on Human Resources, Chapman/ Netsch. Authorizes director of public health to close unsafe nursing homes. Passed House (see House Roll Call 9) June 17, H9Y 19N 6P(D.,84Y 7NOP; R., 35Y 12N 6P). Passed Senate (see Senate Roll Call 3) June 29, 42Y IN 2P(D., 23Y ON 2P; R., 19Y 1N OP). House concurred in Senate amendments; sent to governor.
H.B. 3837, Com. on Human Resources, Chapman/ Netsch. Authorizes Department of Public Health to publish annual directory of nursing homes with ratings. Passed House (see House Roll Call 10) May 27, 96Y 45N 9P (D., 69Y 18N 2P; R., 27Y 27N7P). Failed in Senate (see Senate Roll Call 4) June 29, 7Y 27N 2P (D., 7Y 10N2P; R., OY 17NOP).
Other
H.B. 3704, Stiehl/ K. Hall. Emergency vehicle operator's liability act. Passed both houses. P. A.
79-1240.
H.B. 3834, Com. on Human Resources, Chapman/Netsch. Makes changes in the alcoholism law recommended by a subcommittee. Passed
both houses.
H.B. 3917, Com. on Human Resources, Chapman/ D. A. Moore. Dispensers of medical services must prove claims before being reimbursed. Passed both houses.
School aid
H.B. 3518, Jaffe/ Brady. Amends school aid formula. Passed House June 9, 107Y 50N 9P. Passed Senate (see Senate Roll Call 5) June 25, 33Y 18N6P(D.,32YONOP;R.,1Y18N6P). House concurred in amendments (see House Roll Call 11) June 29, 115Y 54N 2P (D., 83Y 14N IP;
R..32Y40N1P).
H.B. 3721, Miller/Lane. Makes changes in special equalization and supplementary state aid.
Passed both houses.
S.B. 1524, Hickey/Stubblefield. Provides state grants to certain districts. Passed both houses.
State government
S.B. 31, H. H. Hall/Katz and H.B. 3961
Shea/Rock. Requires legislators to be paid monthly instead of annually of biennially. Passed
both houses.
H.B. 3858, Com. on Agriculture/Schisler.
Creates a state fair agency under a 15-member
board. Passed both houses.
S.B. 1881, D'Arco/Geo-KLaris. Transfers drug
abuse programs from the Department of Mental
August 1976/ Illinois Issues/ 25
Health and Developmental Disabilities to the Dangerous Drugs Commission. Passed both houses.
H.B. 3801, Washburn-Redmond/Partee-Har-ris. Creates a governmental research service in the State Library. Passed both houses.
S.B. 1799, Bruce/Schuneman. Authorizes prepaid preventive health care for state employees through health maintenance organizations, at employee expense. Passed both houses.
H.B. 3563, Brandt/H. R. Mohr. Expands the area of the Capitol Complex in Springfield. Passed both houses.
Taxes
H.B. 3655, Stubblefield. Would have accelerated sales tax collections.
Failed in House (see House Roll Call 12) June 7,
33 Y 85N IP (D., 31Y31N IP; R., 2Y 54N OP).
H.B. 3643, Beaupre. Would speed up income tax revenues. Failed in House June 7, 43Y 72N 2P.
S.B. 2004, Netsch. Would accelerate sales tax collections. Failed on a motion to discharge it from committee in Senate (see Senate Roll Call 6) June24,21Y29N 1P(D., 21Y 2N OP; R.,OY 17N IP).
S.B. 2005 and S.B. 2006, Bruce. Would speed up income tax money. Remained in committee.
Two bills affecting township assessors passed: H.B. 3485, McMaster/Knuppel. Sets new salary ranges. Passed both houses.
H.B. 3486, McMaster/ Knuppel. Sets qualifications in counties under 1,000,000. Passed both houses.
H.B.3217, Friedrich/ H. H. Hall, and S,B. 1918, Partee/McClain. Increases inheritance tax exemptions. Passed both houses.
Transportation
S.B. 1750, Knuppel/ Keller, and S.B. 2000, Dougherty/Garmisa.
Provides state aid for rebuilding unsafe local bridges.
Passed both houses.
S.B. 1976, Corel, on Transportation, Chew/ Neff. Provides state aid for intercity rail passenger service. Passed both houses. Public Act 79-1213.
H.B. 3522, Craig-Shea/Chew. To provide for five-year license plates. Returned to Senate committee.
S.B. 1950, Partee/ Maragos. Requires placards displayed when transporting hazardous materials. Passed both houses.
H.B. 1815, Maragos-Choate-Hudson/Partee, and H.B. 3980, Transportation Com., Garmisa/ Partee. Directs state agencies to develop legislative programs on transit of hazardous materials and to report next year. Passed both houses.
Other
HJR-CA 18, Chapman-Dyer/ Partee. Proposed Equal Rights
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. House passed it last year;
Partee, who said he lacked sufficient votes,
did not call it fora vote in Senate this year.
H.B. 3910, Corn. on Judiciary I, Washington. A new domestic relations act including "no fault" divorce provisions. Failed in House June 16, 79Y 76N 10P.
H.B. 3167, Palmer-Cunningham, H.B. 3204, P. J. Kosinski-Sangineister and S.B. 1532, Bell, would restore death penalty. Remained in committee. ž
August 1976/ Illinois Issues/ 27