Legislative Action

The General Assembly is back in town

THE legislature is to begin its fall veto session October 24 along with a concurrent special session to consider bills on crime and on realignment of the State Board of Elections.

The governor has further announced he wants lawmakers to consider substantive changes in the state's unemployment insurance laws. Changes are needed in response to new amendments to federal unemployment insurance laws, according to Gov. James Thompson in a September 27 letter he sent to legislative leaders. If changes are not made, he warned that a severe strain would be placed on the business climate in Illinois, and the state could face up to $60 million in penalties. He said inaction might also mean "a doubling in the total unemployment taxes paid by private employers."

Another expected action by legislators is to change the effective date of the new elections consolidation law (S.B. 1149, P.A. 80-936) to January 1, 1981. Under the law's present effective date, elected officials in some cities and on school boards would have their terms cut off. Instead of using an amendatory veto, Gov. Thompson signed the bill and sought action by the legislature. Sen. David J. Regner(R., Mount Prospect) said he will introduce the necessary bill and believes it will pass.

Thompson completed action on all of the 1,332 bills sent him by the legislature on September 27. He approved 1,003 bills and vetoed 329 (147 were vetoed outright, 118 were sent back with amendatory suggestions, and 64 were sent back with either line- item or reduction vetoes).

Thompson admitted that override attempts were likely on his two most emotionally-charged veto actions — on legalization of laetrile and on the cutting off of state funds for abortions. "I could not sign the laetrile and Medicaid abortion bills out of a sense of conscience," he said.

Other vetoed bills may also draw override attempts, among them are some of those listed below. For an override to be successful on a full, line-item or amendatory veto, it takes a three-fifths vote of the elected membership of each house. Overrides of reduction vetoes take a constitutional majority in both houses of the legislature— that is, a majority of the elected members in each chamber.

For bills vetoed with amendatory provisions, the governor needs approval of a constitutional majority of both chambers for a bill to become law in the form he recommended. Gov. Thompson may have an easier time getting approval on these "amendatory" or "revisionary" vetoes than his predecessors since he did not attempt any sweeping changes that might affront legislators. With a conflict already established between Thompson and Speaker William Redmond over "Class X," the governor probably never seriously considered using the amendatory veto power to try to rewrite a bill to include the "Class X" provisions.˛

27 / November 1977 / Illinois Issues


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