Items listed under State Documents have been received by the Documents Unit, Illinois State Library, Springfield, and are usually available from public libraries in the state through inter-library loan. Issuing agencies may have copies available. For items under Other Reports, write to the publisher as listed.

State Documents

■   Tax Abatement (8 pp.) and Tax Increment Financing (21 pp.), Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (September 1986).

Today Illinois local governments can turn to a variety of tools to assist them in their economic development efforts. These pamphlets discuss two of them. Tax abatement is the power of any taxing district (including cities, counties, school and park districts, forest preserves, etc.) to waive or reduce the property taxes of a particular commercial or industrial firm for a specific period of time. The pamphlet on this subject presents a model tax abatement ordinance, describes the two approaches a county clerk may use to administer the abatement and discusses three ways local officials may determine eligibility criteria and the terms of abatement. Under tax increment financing (TIF) a community may use the increased property tax revenues generated by a redevelopment project in the TIF area for up to 23 years. The pamphlet on TIF discusses how the process works, how the funds are typically used, eligibility for a TIF project and planning for such a project.

■  Islrb, Illinois State Labor Relations Board. This newsletter, which began its second year of publication in October, provides information about cases that have come before the board and general information about public employee relations in this state; it also lists elections for representation and dates of certification.

■   The Status of Older Women in Illinois Today, Illinois Department on Aging (October 1986), 18 pp.

There are 765,950 women over the age of 65 in Illinois today. This represents 61 percent of the population in that age category. The task force that produced this report set out to determine the differences between elderly men and women and to develop recommendations for the relevant decisionmakers in this state. The report is based on information gathered at 23 hearings held throughout Illinois and on the results of a questionnaire distributed at those hearings. Three areas are discussed in some detail: income, living and housing arrangements, and health care. The recommendations range from increasing the awareness of programs already in existence and expanding the network of services to making pension laws more beneficial, diversifying housing options and developing options for the payment of long-term care.

Other Reports

■  a citizen's guide to school finance, by Nathela Chatara, Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois, 201 E. Adams, Suite 350, Springfield 62701 (fall 1986), 51 pp.; $6.50.

This guide should be on every school board member's, administrator's and teacher's bookshelf; it should also serve as the subject of a meeting for every concerned citizens' group in the state.

The funding mechanism for Illinois public schools is extremely complicated; in this era of growing concern with the education of the country's young people it is imperative that citizens understand how that education is paid for, regardless of how complicated the system is. The Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois is to be commended for assisting in this effort.

The guide has four major sections: the Illinois public school system, the ABCs of school finance, school budgeting and getting involved in your school's finances. While there are a few tables and graphs and an Illinois map outlining the state's school districts, most of the booklet contains straightforward and readable text. A list of minimum curriculum requirements and additional references are also included.

■   Your Rights Under the Law: Crime Victims in Illinois, Center for Legal Studies, Sangamon State University, Springfield 62794-9243 (1986), 30 pp.; $2.00.

This valuable guide provides information for both victims and witnesses of violent crimes. The first section describes the criminal court process, including pretrial proceedings, the trial itself and sentencing; a separate subsection deals with juvenile cases. Other sections discuss the rights of victims and witnesses, victim compensation and this state's Son of Sam Law (according to which certain victims may be compensated out of proceeds generated from TV, book, article, radio and movie depictions of the crime). It also discusses those with special rights such as victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and elderly crime victims.

■   The Developmentally Disabled Offender: An Illinois Information and Resource Handbook, Center for Legal Studies, Sangamon State University; available from Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities, 840 S. Spring, Springfield 62706 (1986), 113 pp. plus appendices.

The five chapters included in this handbook address issues and problems raised during two symposia held by the Center for Legal Studies for judges, state's attorneys, defense counsels, probation officers and mental health professionals. The first contains definitions and other basic information; the others discuss the criminal justice system, screening and evaluation, existing options for diversion and treatment and which agencies are involved in serving the developmentally disabled offender in this state.

Anna J. Merritt

January 1987/Illinois Issues/33