Assembly, no less than the Governor, 

 should assume responsibility for prevent- ' 

 ing any possible deficit or increase in 

 taxes. The Association has consistently 

 opposed unnecessary increases in appro- 

 priations and the steady increase in the 

 number of persons on the State payrolls. 

 While in some instances it has been suc- 

 cessful in opposing attempted increases 

 in appropriations, it believes that the , 

 general increases made are to a large ex- 

 tent unnecessary and without merit. In 

 addition to numerous salary increases for 

 State employees, the General Assembly 

 enacted legislation providing a pension 

 system for State employees. Under the 

 bill the State would contribute to the 

 fund from which payments are to be 

 made. This bill was vetoed by the 

 Governor. 



Among the general salary increases, 

 the General Assembly did not overlook 

 its own members. The salary of the 

 members was increased from $3500 to 

 $5000 for the two year period. Under 

 the Constitution, this increase cannot be 

 effective during the present terms of the 

 members. In addition to this salary, the 

 members receive a certain amount each 

 week for mileage for their travel to and 

 from Springfield. In fairness, it should 

 be pointed out that members have not 

 received any additional compensation for 

 attendance at special sessions and there 

 have been many special sessions during 

 recent years. However, if the compensa- 

 tion is to be increased, then the people 

 of the State have a right to expect more 

 than one or two days work per week 

 during the legislative sessions. They 

 should insist that the members devote 

 sufficient time and consideration to leg- 

 islative measures and committee hearings 

 to carefully consider the provisions 

 of the many measures introduced and 

 urged for passage. Six senators and 

 twenty-four representatives, voted against 

 the salary increases, mmelv: Senators 

 Barr, Beckman, Downing, Hecken- 

 kamp, Lantz and Laughlin and Repre- 

 sentatives Henry C. Allen, Alpiner, 

 Benson, Bingham. Bolger, Branson, 

 Bruer, Caton, Collins, Cross, Crowley, 

 Dale. Hubbard, David Hunter, Knapp, 

 F. W. Lewis, Reavill Scarborou''h, 

 Sparks, Sturdyvin, Teel, Vacco, Wil- 

 son and Woodward. 



So long as the General Assembly fails 

 or refuses to correct its wasteful methods 

 of procedure, the people of the State 

 should give proper credit to those mem- 

 bers who voted against increasing their 

 salaries. 



Nearly all of the unusually large num- 

 ber of bills which in one way or an- 

 other permitted or required higher taxes 

 on property were tabled or defeated ex- 

 cept "pegged" levy bills in Chicago, bills 

 increasing the salaries of the county and 



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 Appropriations 



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probate judges (which were vetoed by 

 the Governor) and bills fixing the mini- 

 mum salaries to be paid policemen and 

 firemen in cities of 10,000 to 150,000 

 population. 



The Association regards laws fixing 

 the actual or minimum salary for local 

 employees as particularly bad in that they 

 take away local control over salary scales 

 and encourage pressure from other 

 groups for this type of legislation. It 

 regards the "pegged" levy, a levy which 

 is fixed to produce a definite amount re- 

 gardless of the higher tax rate, as en- 

 couraging tax delinquency wherever, as 

 in the City of Chicago, tax delinquency 

 is already very bad. The Association 

 will opfKJse any effort to extend this un- 

 sound fiscal practice from the City of 

 Chicago to the remainder of the State. 



An unusual number of bills proposing 

 to tax or to license and regulate various 

 kinds of business were introduced. Some 

 of them had so little merit that they were 

 regarded as serving special interests by 

 many members of the General Assembly 

 as well as by others. One of these regu- 

 latory bills, the so-called painters' bill, 

 as originally introduced would have re- 

 quired a State license for every person, 

 including any farmer, doing any painting 

 and would even have required a State 

 license before a person might paint his 

 own buildings This bill was opposed 

 by the Illinois Agricultural Association 

 and other organizations. It was amended 

 in the House to permit an individual to 

 do work or have work done on his own 

 property without securing a license. The 

 bill passed the House but was tabled in 

 the Senate when it was reported that 

 money had been raised to secure its pass- 

 age. Nearly all taxing, license and reg- 

 ulatory bills of this character were tabled 

 or defeated. 



The General Assembly will not be 

 remembered for any highly important 

 legislation enacted except perhaps the 

 Insurance Code. It will more likely be 

 remembered for its failure to pass needed 



measures such as a resolution submitting 

 a proper amendment to the Revenue 

 Article of the State Constitution and a 

 workable drivers' license law. 



The Illinois Agricultural Association 

 sponsored and urged passage of the fol- 

 lowing bills and joint resolution: »• 

 Tractor License Bill 



House Bill 166 amended and repealed 

 the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act 

 requiring the same license fees for farm 

 tractors and motor-drawn farm machin- 

 ery as were required of trucks. The bill 

 as passed exempts from registration un- 

 der the Motor Vehicle Act and from pay- 

 ment of the license fee any farm tractor 

 and motor-drawn machinery used prim- 

 arily in the agricultural pursuits of the 

 owner or in the agricultural pursuits of 

 others. Such exemption, however, does 

 not include tractors and trailers or trucks 

 engaged in transporting agricultural 

 products. The owner of a truck having 

 a corn sheller, well driller, hay press, 

 clover huller or farm machinery perma- 

 nently mounted thereon and used solely 

 for transporting the same is required to 

 secure a special license for which a fee 

 of $5.00 is fixed. This bill passed both 

 Houses without a dissenting vote and 

 properly exempts from license and high 

 fees farm tractors used for any purpose 

 except hauling farm products. 



Cold Storage Locker Bill 



Senate Bill 275 amends the Cold Stor- 

 age Warehouse Act and provides that 

 certain provisions of this Act shall not 

 apply to food received or kept in small 

 individual lockers. Cold storage locker 

 plants already established and others will 

 be relieved of the necessity of making 

 monthly reports to the Department of 

 Agriculture of the contents of the indi- 

 vidual lockers and will be relieved from 

 stamping or tagging the food placed in 

 or removed from the lockers with the 

 date thereof. There was no opposition 

 to this bill. 



Egg Grading Bill 



Senate Bill 329 amends the Egg Cand- 

 ling Law. Under the former law, all 

 eggs sold at retail were required to be 

 candled at the f>oint of distribution. Sen- 

 ate Bill 329 provides that in case eggs 

 have been graded by an official Federal- 

 State grader and his certificate stating the 

 grade and the date they were graded is 

 sealed into the case or carton, then these 

 certified eggs may be sold within five 

 days from the date of such certificate 

 without being recandled at the f)oint of 

 distribution. This legislation is permis- 

 sive and dealers may continue under the 

 old system. Recandling serves no pur- 

 pose when the eggs have been graded 

 and certified by an official grader but the 

 recandling does take time and entails 

 additional expense. Under this bill, a 

 consumer can be assured of a quality egg 



AUGUST. 1937 



