lAA-SPONSORED 



POSTWAR 



ROAD 



BILL 



ASSES 



By PAUL E. MATHIAS 



AS THE RECORD goes to press, the 

 64th General Assembly has just 

 adjourned. A full report by the 

 lAA legislative committee, together 

 •with the voting record on downstate 

 members of the legislature on bills of 

 major importance to agriculture will be 

 carried in the next issue. In general, 

 legislation sponsored by the Association 

 has fared very well in the session of the 

 General Assembly just closed. How- 

 ever, the Association was unable to se- 

 cure the defeat of the bills raising 

 property assessments to 100%. This 

 tax program was one of the most far 

 reaching matters considered by the 

 General Assembly and over the years 

 seems likely to result in substantial in- 

 creases in local taxes. A brief report 

 on a number of important measures 

 follows : 



The bill sponsored by the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association and appropri- 

 ating 15 million dollars from State sur 

 plus funds for use on township and road 

 district roads passed. If approved by 

 the Governor, these funds will become 

 available upon termination of the war. 

 Under the legislation, the townships 

 and road districts would do the grading 

 work and the State funds would be 

 used for surfacing work and materials. 



amendment would permit future Gen- 

 eral Assemblies to submit changes in 

 not more than three articles of the Con- 

 stitution at the same time. It would 

 permit the adoption of amendments by 

 the favorable vote of two-thirds of 

 those voting on the proposition instead 

 of the present requirement of a ma- 

 jority of all votes cast in the election. 

 It further would require that in the 

 future, votes on constitutional amend- 

 ments shall be cast on a separate ballot 

 or in a separate column on the main 

 ballot. The Association feels that this 

 liberalization of the amending process 

 is necessary in order that the State may 

 adopt whatever changes are necessary to 

 meet the problems of the postwar per- 

 iod. 



Party Circle Bills 



Gateway Amendment 



The General Assembly has submitted 

 an amendment of the Constitution to be 

 voted on in November, 1946. The 



In order to secure adoption of the 

 Gateway Amendment to the Constitu- 

 tion, the Association joined with others 

 in sponsoring the so-called "party cir- 

 cle bills." Under these bills, the State 

 conventions of the political parties 

 would be requested to take a position 

 upon the Gateway Amendment to the 

 Constitution. If a State political con- 

 vention did take such a position, then 

 votes in the party circle, i.e., straight 

 tickets, would be counted in favor of 

 the position taken upon the proposed 

 amendment by the respective political 

 party unless the voter crossed over and 

 voted otherwise upon the amendment 



where it appears in the separate col- 

 umn. These bills passed the legisla- 

 ture. If the Governor permits them 

 to become law, it is hoped that adop- 

 tion of the Gateway Amendment can 

 be secured. 



1 00 % Assessment 



Among the most far reaching legis- 

 lation of the session were bills provid- 

 ing machinery for forcing all assess- 

 ments of property in the State to full 

 fair cash value. The percentage of fair 

 cash value at which property heretofore 

 has been assessed has varied from coun- 

 ty to county. 



Under this legislation the assessment 

 would be made by the local officials 

 as at present but the State Department 

 of Revenue would determine the per- 

 centage of full fair cash value at which 

 the assessment had been made locally 

 and would then direct that the assess- 

 ment be increased (or decreased) in an 

 amount necessary to bring it to full fair 

 cash value. Companion bills cut tax 

 rates in half. 



Other companion bills provide that 

 for a five-year period local tax rates may 

 not increase more than 5% in any one 

 year nor more than 15% in the five year 

 period. The Association strenuously 

 opposed this legislation. However, the 

 Association was unsuccessful and the 

 program was passed and the key bill 

 has been approved by the Governor. 

 Under the program, bonding power is 

 greatly increased since bonds are based 

 upon assessed valuation. Downstate 

 property has been assessed at an average 

 of about 30% of its full cash value. 

 With the tax rates cut in half, it is 

 obvious that substantial increases in 

 local taxes can result. In many in- 

 stances the local taxing officials will 

 have greatly increased taxing powers. 

 Tax payers residing in these taxing 

 units can protect themselves only by 

 protesting to these local tax levying 

 authorities against any increase in taxes. 

 This program does not become effective 

 until January 1, 1946 and will not affect 

 taxes levied in 1945. 



Trucks and Busses 



Bills were passed which increase the 

 maximum length of trucks to 45 feet 

 and also raise the speed limit for trucks. 

 The bills further would increase the 

 maximum axle weight from 16,000 to 

 18,000 pounds per axle upon hard sur- 

 faced roads which are designated by the- 

 Division of Highways as adequate to 

 carry these heavier loads or which are 

 designated by the Division of High- 

 ways as obsolete and in need of re- 

 building. The Association made a 



L A. A. RECOBD 



