The 





Illinois A^ctdtural Assodatm 



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RECORD 



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Pvbllsbed montbly by tbe Illinois Agricultural Astociation at 166 So. Main Street, Spencer, Ind. Editorial Offices, 008 So. Dearborn St., Obieago, 111. 

 Entered a« second class matter at post office, Spencer, Ind. Acceptance for mailingr at special rates of postage proyided in Section 412, Act of Feb. 28, 

 1925, autborized Oct. 27, 1926. Address all communications for publication to Editorial Offices, Illinois Agricultural Association Record, 008 So. 

 Dearborn St., Cbicago. 



Number 4 



APRIU 1934 



Volume 12 



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State Legislation Reviewed 



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Here is Digest of Important Measures Considered By 58th General Assembly With 

 -^■^■B^^^ Records of Senators and Representatives ; 



WITH the approach of the 

 April primaries Farm Bureau 

 members are increasingly in- 

 terested in the voting records of down- 

 state members of the legislature who 

 are candidates for renomination. 



Practically every bill introduced in 

 the General Assembly affects farm in- 

 terests, directly or indirectly. During 

 the sessions of the Fifty-Eighth Gen- 

 eral Assembly the Association has 

 studied all bills introduced and has 

 supported, amended or opposed them, 

 in the interests of agriculture. It is 

 impossible to present the records of 

 the various legislators on the mass of 

 legislation. But in line with its cus- 

 tomary policy, the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association presents the voting rec- 

 ords of both senators and representa- 

 tives on three measures considered by 

 the present General Assembly, which 

 the Association believes are of most 

 importani^e to farm interests. 



r The first two 

 measures on which 

 the v«te is listed in 

 the table on page 5 

 were considered in 

 the regular session 

 of the General As- 

 sembly during the 

 first half of 1933. 

 The last measure, 

 key bill of the State 

 Tax Levy and Bond 

 bills, was considered 

 in the first special 

 session. 



In every case the 

 test votes presented 

 have been taken 

 from official jour- 

 nals and were of 

 vital importance to 

 the measures eon- 

 sidered. ^^ 



H. J. R. 65 Revenue Amendment 



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: Throughout the regular session of 

 the present General Assembly the As- 

 sociation, consistent with its position 

 for many years, sought the submission 

 of a fair revenue amendment to the 

 Illinois constitution. Late in the ses- 

 sion. House Joint Resolution 65 was 

 recommended by the House Judiciary 

 Committee. This measure proposed, 

 first, to give the legislature power, by 

 majority vote and free from all pres- 

 ent restrictions, to levy taxes on any 

 source of revenue; and, second, to 

 limit the total taxes on any tangible 

 property to one per cent of its fair 

 cash value, exclusive of levies for pay- 

 ment of bonds and interest.^ ^^^^^^^^v^^^';: 



-After its approval by the House by 

 the overwhelming vote of 128 to 5, the 

 proposed measure was modified in the 

 Senate to include certain minor 

 changes requested by the Association. 



Before it could be brought to a final 

 vote in the Senate, a party caucus 

 dominated by Chicago administration 

 leaders offered a revenue amendment, 

 which proposed to continue all present 

 restrictions on the power of the legis- 

 lature in matters of revenue unless 

 such restrictions were abrogated by a 

 two-thirds vote of all members elected 

 to each House. The Association op- 

 posed this measure on the ground,: 

 amply demonstrated by past expe- 

 rience, that it would prevent essential 

 changes in our present taxing system. 

 . The highly objectionable Senate 

 revenue amendment passed the Sen-, 

 ate with the required two-thirds vote, 

 but failed in the House. The test v#te 

 in each House, given on page 5, was 

 cast on a motitm to rabstitvte the 

 House amendment for the Senate 

 amendment. It classifies tfie dowiwtate 

 senators and representatives as for or 

 against the revenue amendm^it snp* 



V ported by the Asso- 

 ':'.'/. elation. ^/-.-'"-.-^ 



Occupational Tax 

 Acts and Lantz Bflls 



THE BEST AUTHORITY 



After the first 

 Sales Tax Act was 

 declared unconstitu- 

 tional, administra- 

 tion bills were intro- 

 duced in the regular 

 session to establish 

 the present Occupa- 

 tional Tax and to 

 provide for the use 

 of the revenue there- 

 from. As enacted, 

 they provide that the 

 net proceeds of the 

 occupational tax, for 

 the six months end- 

 ing December 31, 



(Continued on p. 4) 



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