Washington

First bills in the hopper from delegation

THE ILLINOIS congressional delegation began the 98th Congress with a flourish, introducing at least 96 pieces of legislation in the first six weeks of the session. Many of the bills, reflecting the concerns of voters in the November elections, seek relief from the recession through increased federal benefits, jobs programs or tax breaks.

Also, a key member of the delegation and a House Democratic leader, Dan Rostenkowski of Chicago, caused quite a stir by infuriating House Speaker Thomas O'Neill (D-Mass.) with a tax program that O'Neill felt abandoned the Democrats' "fairness issue" in favor of compromise with the White House.

Rostenkowski, chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, proposed freezing or postponing all tax breaks after this year, which would still allow the third year of President Reagan's 10 percent income tax cut to take effect this July 1, O'Neill wants to "cap" or limit the tax cut to a maximum of $700 a person, which would affect incomes of $50,000 or more, to make the program fair.

O'Neill angrily complained Rostenkowski had made him feel like a "fool." The two men are close friends, however, and quickly patched things up. Rostenkowski is walking a tight-rope these days. He does not want to offend or appear disloyal to O'Neill, the de facto head of the Democratic party. But he also feels the need to show more leadership qualities in case, as some observers believe, O'Neill does not seek reelection in 1984 and leaves Rostenkowski and a half-dozen others to fight it out for the speaker's job.

Of the 96 pieces of legislation filed by the delegation, more than half were introduced by Republican Congressman Phil Crane of Arlington Heights. He filed 43 bills on one day and 51 total during the first six weeks of the session. The list reads like the New Right agenda. One would limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in certain cases, and another would allow voluntary school prayers. He also seeks to cut off federal funds to clinics who counsel minors about abortion without telling their parents, to limit U.S. contributions to the United Nations and to allow tuition tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools.

As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Crane filed a host of bills to change the tax laws. One would exempt those over the age of 70 from paying income tax. He also filed a resolution that would eliminate the limitation on outside earned income for House members which, in effect, would be a pay raise. Currently, House members can earn no more than 30 percent of their $69,800 congressional salary — or about $20,000 — in outside income, such as from speeches, articles, etc. Just this December, House members raised their salaries from $60,662. Ironically, his brother, Republican Congressman Dan Crane of Danville, filed a bill to reduce the new $69,800 salary by 5 percent.

Many of the bills, however, seek recession relief for those who don't work in Congress. Republican Congresswoman Lynn Martin of Rockford filed two bills: one to provide funds to states for the purpose of job opportunities and business stimulation, and the other to require Agriculture Secretary John Block to offset the agricultural export subsidies imposed by foreign countries by subsidizing the exportation of U.S. agricultural commodities.

Democratic Congressman Paul Simon of Carbondale introduced a bill that would set up a 1930s WPA-type program beginning in 1985. Under the proposal, if a person has been out of work for 30 days, the federal government would guarantee him four days of work a week at the minimum wage and he would be required to hunt for a private sector job on the fifth day.

Republican Congressmen George O'Brien of Joliet and Henry Hyde of Oak Park filed a measure to take the $182 million a year appropriated to the the Economic Development Administration and give it to high-unemployment states as matching funds for jobs programs. A much larger program was sought by Democratic Congressman Harold Washington of Chicago. He filed a bill creating a five-year, $55 billion jobs program that would put the unemployed to work fixing the public roads, schools, hospitals and sewers.

The Illinois Democratic senator, Alan Dixon, introduced a bill that would set a floor price on the farm crops involved in the administration's Payment-In-Kind program (see February 1983 issue). The administration bypassed Congress and implemented the program, which would give farmers an amount of stored grain in return for not planting some of their land. The Dixon bill provides that in no case may the value of the commodities received by the farmer fall below 85 percent of the basic county loan rate in effect during that marketing year.

Only one of the three newest members of the delegation, Congressman Richard Durbin, had filed any legislation in the first six weeks. Durbin's bill would repeal the automatic withholding of income tax on interest and dividends. Automatic withholding was part of the $99 billion tax increase bill Congress passed last year.□

April 1983 | Illinois Issues | 42