Legislative Action
THE legislature, like the Cheshire Cat, put on a number of faces as both houses considered bills ranging from workmen's compensation to marijuana. Both houses were rushing in the last weeks of May to meet their self-imposed deadlines to get bills out of one house and into the other.
The General Assembly demonstrated a tendency toward a split personality in handling business and labor-related measures. Although both houses had bills introduced providing tax incentives to improve the Illinois business climate, labor came out on top of business in regard to the workmen's compensation bills which were passed.
The House split along party lines on the workmen's compensation votes. H.B. 853, introduced by Rep. Lee Daniels (R., Elmhurst), failed to get enough votes (86-54) and was put aside for postponed consideration. Republican leader George Ryan of Kankakee said "you folks on that side [Democrats] have refused to give relief to business." Daniels' bill would have amended the Workmen's Occupational Diseases Act by significantly lowering some of the benefits paid to injured workers. Rep. Harry Leinenweber (R., Joliet) argued that the "only way to hold the line on premiums is to cut benefits." Democrats countered that the legislature took care of any excesses in amendments passed last year, and that the insurance companies were taking advantage of the situation to prematurely increase their premiums. Instead, the House passed H.B. 1205, sponsored by Reps. Richard Mautino (D., Spring Valley) and Calvin Schuneman (R., Prophetstown). (see roll call, p. 27) This bill would lower the benefit levels but would base them on the state weekly manufacturing wage, instead of the average weekly wage as in Daniels' bill. The weekly manufacturing wage is presently about $12 higher than the $219 average weekly wage.
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When the debate shifted to the Senate during the week of its deadline, independent Democrats and Republicans combined to pass a bill similar to H.B. 853. S.B. 600 by Sen. John Nimrod (R., Park Ridge) was amended by Sen. Terry Bruce (D., Olney), leader of the independents (see roll call, p. 27). The regular Democrats succeeded in passing two bills which are similar to Mautino's. These are S.B. 720 by Sen. LeRoy Lemke (D., Chicago) and S.B. 1019 by Sen. Robert Lane (D., Chicago), (see roll calls, p. 27) The issue, which dates back to 1975 when the pro-labor measures were passed under the leadership of former Sen. Robert McCarthy (D., Decatur), will continue to be debated during the last month of the session with labor and business vehicles in both houses (see Insurance box, p. 8). |
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Energy and environment
Conservationists could also console
themselves with the passage of several
energy-related bills in both houses which
had the endorsement of the Illinois
Energy Resources Commission. Those which passed in the House are: H.B. 1279 by Rep. Adeline Geo-Karis
(R., Zion) which provides $5 million in
bonds for research and development of
other forms of energy; H.B. 1512 by
Rep. Ralph Dunn(R., DuQuoin)
dealing with solar easements; H.B. 1521
by Rep. Daniel Pierce for home insulation assistance and financing through
public utilities; H.B. 2238 by Geo-Karis
for car pools for state employees; H.B.
1748 and 1749 by Rep. Gale Schisler
(D., London Mills) on solar water
heating and also for energy planning by
the Board of Higher Education. The Senate was less energy conscious,
defeating some bills and passing others
in the commission's package. Some
which did make it through the Senate
are S.B. 1142 by Nimrod which creates
the Division of Energy within the
Department of Business and Economic
Development; S.B. 888 and 889 by Sen.
Kenneth Buzbee (D., Carbondale)
mandating the state Board of Education
and the Board of Higher Education to
develop plans for using solar energy in
public schools and universities; S.B. 944
by Nimrod which creates the Comprehensive Solar Energy Act.
Business lobbyists were successful in
blocking the passage of a bottle bill and
"lifeline." Rep. Daniel Pierce's (D.,
Highland Park) bottle bill, H.B. 730,
passed out of committee for the. first
time this year but was decisively defeated in the House by a 43-126 vote (see
roll call, p. 27). Lifeline also lost out in
the House because of the opposing
pressure from business groups. H.B. 83,
sponsored by Rep. William Marovitz
(D., Chicago) would have reduced utility rates for residential property
owners but would also increase costs to
industry (see roll call, p. 27). However a
bill to create the Illinois Coastal Re.
sources Management Act passed. H.B
2118 by Rep. Betty Lou Reed (D.,
Deerfield) would provide for regulation
of a defined coastal zone for Lake
Michigan (see roll call, p. 27).
Sunset bills
Although several of the fairly broad
sunset measures introduced are tied up
in a Senate subcommittee, the concept
has caught on in the form of amendments to appropriations bills while in
committee. A "Totten sunshine amendment" has become a catch phrase to
characterize amendments aimed at
eliminating certain programs or sections of various departments' budgets. Rep.
Donald Totten (R., Schaumburg) is also the sponsor of H.B. 1702, one of the
sunset bills which has passed the House
and is in the Senate executive subcommittee. Totten and another sunset
26 / July 1977 / Illinois Issues
sponsor, Rep. Richard Luft (D., Pekin), serve on one of the House appropriations committees. Along with others, they have used appropriations hearings on major departments as a forum for questioning the existence and necessity for some programs (see State of the state p 2). The controversial Illinois Information Service (US) in the Department of General Services was tabled by one such "sunshine amendment." The committee chose to eliminate the US at a time when Gov. James Thompson extended its services to members of the General Assembly. The members saw this extension as a mushrooming of a political problem they have been fighting for years.
Another sign of the legislature's desire to regulate itself was the Senate passage of Sen. John Knuppel's bill which would limit each member of the General Assembly to the introduction of 15 bills (other than appropriations bills) each session. Knuppel himself would be a prime target for S.B. 1296 since he introduced 96 bills this session, with only one an appropriations measure (see roll call, p. 27).
July 1977 / Illinois Issues / 27
While the Senate defeated a bill which would raise the drinking age from 19 to 21 (where it used to be), the House came close to relaxing the penalties on marijuana (see H.B. 700 box, p. 4). Sen. Frank Ozinga (R., Evergreen Park) was the principal sponsor of S.B. 9, which would have increased the age to 21 (see roll call, p. 27). Ozinga said the increase in vandalism, burglaries and automobile accidents involving teenagers was a major reason for raising the legal drinking age (it was lowered in 1974). Another consideration, Ozinga said, is that "the 19-year-old who is allowed to drink is pilfering it down to 14 and 15- year-olds," thereby causing increased problems for high school teachers and principals.
A bill legalizing the use of the drug laetrile in cancer treatment passed the House 131 to 28. H.B. 1200 by Totten would remove civil liability from doctors, hospitals and related health professionals who administer the drug, which is also known as amygdalin or vitamin B-17 (see roll call, p. 27). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not recognize laetrile as a legitimate cancer treatment and prohibits the interstate sale or transport of the drug as a cancer cure. Totten's bill would apply to the use of laetrile within the state. Six other states have legalized its use./ Mary C. Galligan
28 / July 1977 / Illinois Issues
