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 listed under Other Reports, write to the publisher as listed.

State Reports

■ Uniting the Generations. . ., Department on Aging, Office of Public Information and Advocacy, 421 E. Capitol Ave., Springfield 62701 (October 1987), 8 pp.

During spring 1987 the Department on Aging held a series of seminars in conjuction with 11 universities throughout the state. Representatives from academia, state government and the voluntary sector addressed the issue of state and federal policies concerning the family, including the very young as well as the elderly. Emphasis was placed on the interdependence of age groups, not on trading off the needs of one group for those of another. This report discusses some of the issues raised at those meetings, describes some successful programs and suggests new policy directions.

■ Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Utility Consumer, Illinois Commerce Commission, Consumer Affairs Division, 527 E. Capitol Ave., P.O. Box 19280, Springfield 62794 or 100 W. Randolph, Suite 9-100, Chicago 60601 (February 1987), 20 pp.

This booklet covers rules that are of the greatest interest to most consumers. They apply to all utilities except cooperatives, those that are municipally owned, or those owned and operated by municipal governments or special taxing districts. Topics covered include establishing service; bills and deposits; making payments; shutting off service and reconnection; theft of service; resolving problems and disputes; and special problems.

■ Land Treatment, Department of Energy and Natural Resources, 325 W. Adams St., Springfield 62704 (October 1987), 5 pp.

At least 200 communities in the state face a July 1, 1988, deadline for compliance with federal sewage treatment water quality standards. Land treatment systems could be an economical alternative for some of these rural, nonindustrial communities. This system treats waste-water as a recyclable resource rather than as a slurry of pollutants. Instead of being treated and discharged to surface water where they are harmful, the municipal wastewater pollutants are taken up by vegetation as the water percolates through the soil.

■ The Future of Illinois Basin Coal: 1994 and Beyond, by Subhash B. Bhagwat, State Geological Survey, Department of Energy and Natural Resources, 615 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign 61820 (1987), 26 pp.

Low-sulfur western coals have succeeded in capturing new coal markets that traditionally would have been Illinois'. This continuing weak position is attributed to a lack of cost competitiveness. If current clean air regulations are enforced and the price of Illinois basin coal does not become competitive, the state's coal production will continue to lag through 1994 and beyond.

■ An Evaluation of the Economic Potential for Cogeneration in Illinois, by Deborah L. Fields, Department of Energy and Natural Resources, 325 W. Adams St., Rm. 300, Springfield 62704 (October 1987), 107 pp.

The service territories of Commonwealth Edison Company and Illinois Power Company have the characteristics necessary to support the development of cogeneration, which describes any method involving the simultaneous production of mechanical, electrical or thermal energy. The study, which is Phase II of a larger project, was designed to obtain information on existing cogeneration as well as on firms that have the potential to cogenerate in the future. Phase I, completed in fall 1985, was a study of the technical potential for cogeneration in Illinois.

Other Reports

■ Collective Bargaining Rights of Peace Officers, edited by Thomas M. Frost, Loyola University, Center for Urban Policy, 820 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60611 (1987), 72 pp.

In 1985 the General Assembly extended the rights of collective bargaining and interest arbitration to almost all Illinois police officers. This volume contains the major presentations made at a symposium addressing issues raised by this legislation. Contributors include attorneys, city and policy officials, a state legislator, the chairman of the labor relations board and a professor of labor relations.

■ Permanent Assignment of Aides to Nursing Home Residents, by Michael Patchner and Merlin Taber, School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; available from Department of Public Aid, Communications Department, 100 S. Grand Ave. East, Springfield 62762 (1986), 18 pp.

Following a three-month trial period at two nursing homes, it was concluded that the permanent assignment of aides to nursing home residents improves the quality of care and allows the aides to do their jobs more efficiently. With permanent assignments the aides have time to assume new responsibilities, such as retraining residents in daily living activities, working on restorative nursing functions, interacting with residents and doing more for them.

■ Report to the Governor of Illinois on Procedures of the Illinois Pollution Control Regulatory System, by Michael Schneiderman, Hopkins & Sutter, Three First National Plaza, Chicago 60602 (December 9, 1987), 69 pp. plus appendices.

Upon releasing this report in early December, Gov. James R. Thompson directed the immediate implementation of administrative changes to streamline the environmental regulatory process. The report was a response to concerns raised by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding the state's administration of federally mandated environmental programs. The changes suggested at the conclusion of this fact-finding study affect the drafting and adoption of pollution control regulations as well as enforcement, variances and permit appeals.

■ A Guide Through Chicago's Tax Maze, League of Women Voters of Chicago, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60604, revised second edition (September 1987), 44 pp.

As is so often true of LWV publications, this is a useful primer for the intelligent layperson who wishes to learn something about a complex subject. It offers definitions of the various taxes used to operate a municipality as well as the terms used to describe those taxes. Emphasis is placed on the property tax as the most important tax for local government. Attention is also paid to the numerous governing bodies that compete for taxpayers' dollars and the connection among federal, state and local taxes.

■ The 1970 Illinois Constitution: Has It Made a Difference?, by Ann Lousin (September 1987), 117 pp.; available from Prof. Lousin, The John Marshall Law School, 315 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago 60604.

Illinois citizens must decide this year whether or not to call a convention to reconsider the state's 1970 Constitution. Professor Lousin served as a research assistant for the 1969-70 Constitutional Convention, has written extensively about that convention and has given a good deal of attention to the resulting product. This examination of Illinois' fourth constitution is both thorough and enlightening. It discusses not only the constitution itself, but some of the debates and controversies that preceded specific articles and parts of articles. It also points out areas of continuing discussion and argments that have been made for further changes in the charter.       Anna J. Merritt

March 1988 | Illinois Issues | 37