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State Reports



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 interlibrary loan. Issuing agencies may have copies available. For items listed under Other Reports, write to the publisher listed.


State Documents

Available Disposal Capacity for Solid Waste in Illinois, Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Land Pollution Control, 2200 Churchill Road, Springfield 62794-9990 (August 1987), 126 pp.

The state's solid Waste Management Act became law in September 1986. Its purpose is to reduce Illinois' reliance on land disposal of solid waste and to promote volume reduction, recycling and reuse, combustion with energy recovery, and combustion with volume reduction; disposal in landfills should be the last alternative. In 1987 the state will dispose of 52 million cubic yards of solid waste. Of this 2 percent will be recycled, 3 percent will be incinerated, and 95 percent will be landfilled.

■ Impact of Immigration Act on Illinois Employers,, Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, 620 East Adams, Springfield 62701 (April 1987), 8 pp.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires all persons hired after November 6,1986, to verify their identity and citizenship status. This includes U.S.-born citizens. A special form has been developed by the federal government to assist employers in this process. This pamphlet explains some of the requirements and penalties involved. It also includes a sample of the required form.

■ Trends and Issues: Criminal and Juvenile Justice in Illinois, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Chicago 60606 (August 1987), 123 pp.

The first four chapters of this publication cover the four components of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, prosecution, the courts and corrections. The fifth deals with the juvenile offender and this system. Each chapter provides an overview, statistical information and some trends and issues. The volume is intended for interested citizens as well as professionals. The text is clearly written and is supplemented by a large number of well-done graphs and charts.

■ Background Papers for the Committee of 50 To Re-Examine the Illinois Constitution, Illinois Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation, 707 Stratton Building, Springfield 62706.

According to the 1970 Constitution, "If the question of whether a Convention should be called is not submitted during any twenty-year period, the Secretary of State shall submit such question at the general election in the twentieth year following the last submission." Since the last call was in 1968, it is anticipated that voters will be asked to decide at the 1988 election whether or not a convention should be held. In anticipation of this, a Committee of 50 was formed to look at various aspects of the present Constitution. In addition to holding meetings and hearings, it commissioned the 10 background papers that follow:

□ "Constitutional Developments in Illinois" by Samuel K. Gove (15 pp.). Illinois has had four constitutions since it became a state in 1818. Each had its controversial aspects. In 1970 four such issues were presented as separate questions to the voters: the 18-year-old vote, the abolition of the death penalty, a method of selecting judges, and cumulative voting. The new Constitution passed by a 56 percent margin.

□ "The Bill of Rights of the 1970 Constitution" by John M. Garvey (7 pp.) While the bills of rights in the 1848 and 1870 constitutions were almost the same, and neither was ever amended, the 1970 Constitution made a number of changes in this article. Several caused heated debate, and much of the discussion showed the delegates' concern that the document reflect contemporary issues.

□ "The Suffrage, Elections and Constitutional Revision Articles of the 1970 Constitution" by John Jackson (11 pp.). The 1970 Constitution created a board of election, a move that was opposed by most of the Chicago delegates to the convention. The present Constitution is also easier to amend than its predecessors and has a specific provision for calling a new constitutional convention.

□ "The Executive Article of the 1970 Illinois Constitution" by William R. Monat (14 pp.). This state's Constitution grants the governor more power than do most of the other states. Perhaps the most controversial of these is the veto power. In addition, there is no limitation on the number of terms a governor can serve.

□ "The Legislative Article of the 1970 Illinois Constitution" by Jack R. Van Der Slik (1-1 pp.). The present Constitution changed the legislature from a part-time biennial institution to a full-time continuous body. The governor's broad veto powers continue to be a source of controversy in the legislature. A major change occurred with the cutback amendment, which was passed in 1980 by 68.8 percent of the voters.

□ "The Judicial Article of the 1970 Illinois Constitution" by Nancy Ford (12 pp.). Although this article contains several controversial issues, none has sparked as much debate as the method for selecting judges. Instead of electing judges, many favor their nonpartisn appointment. The retention-election system of determining whether a judge remains in office, the system of disciplining judges, and the broad powers granted the Supreme Court are also the subject of some debate.

□ "The Local Government Article of the 1970 Illinois Constitution" by James M. Banovetz and Ann M. Elder (13 pp.) Illinois has more units of local government than any other state. To deal with this situation, the 1970 Constitution provided for home-rule powers for cities and villages with over 25,000 residents, to counties that have an at-large election for their chief executive, and for any municipality whose citizens choose it in a local referendum. One continuing controversy is the existence of township governments, viewed by many as no longer necessary.

□ "The Public Finance Articles of the 1970 Illinois Constitution" by J. Fred Giertz (9 pp.). The present Constitution requires a balanced budget, and while it eliminated the personal property tax, it permits counties of 200,000 or more to classify their tax on real property. A constitutional amendment has been proposed to give constitutional status to certain elements in the controversial State Mandates Act, which was passed in 1979.

□ "The Education Article of the 1970 Illinois Constitution" by Donald Sevener (12 pp.). Education is one of the few matters of public responsibility to enjoy constitutional status. It is also perhaps one of the more hotly debated aspects of the Constitution. Controversy surrounds the role of the state board, the selection procedure for the state superintendent, and the question of who shall pay for educating the young. Also included in this article are education for the handicapped and mentally deficient; vocational training; adult education; and higher education.

□ "Legislative Redistricting in Illinois: An Historical Analysis," by Paul Green. The 1970 Constitution stipulates that legislative and representative districts "shall be compact, contiguous, and substantially equal in population." After each decennial census the legislature is redistricted according to a plan outlined in the legislative article. Several redistricting plans have been challenged in the courts. Future challenges based on racial questions may be expected.

Anna J. Merritt

January 1988/Illinois Issues/35



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