- 6 - I.A.S. Newsletter, February 1968 
"Our Illinois State Legislature" - Continued 
present situation forces your Legislators to conduct their business on the Floor . 
of the Legislature and in the corridors, Conservationists talk to Legislators over 
a cup of coffee in the capitol halls, 
Personal staffs for individual members of your Legislature are non-existent, 
Secretarial help for individual Legislators is provided through a secretarial pool. 
Legislative service agencies inadequately make up for some of the deficiencies in 
staff assistance. Considering the present work load, it is necessary for your State 
Legislators to have additional assistance to handle correspondence, prepare research 
material and attend to the many matters which require attention, 
To give you an idea of the volume of activity in the Legislature, in this 
‘session of the General Assembly, there was a total of 4,268 bills introduced, of 
which 2,602 passed both houses of the Legislature, The Governor signed 2,203 of 
these into law, vetoing 399 in full and 2 in part, But in spite of this activity, 
we spend less than 1/l0th of one per cent of our total State Budget to operate the 
legislative branch of government in Illinois, On a per capita basis, the cost to 
11] each person in the state amounts to 35¢ per year for the operation cf our Legislature, 
| You may think that 35¢ per year is about what it's been worth, but remember you 
cnly get what you pay for. We must spend more money on Legislative tools in order 
to save money by running an effective, economy-minded branch of government, 
In the 74th General Assembly, the Commission on the Organization of the 
General Assembly was established to review the entire operation of the State Legis— 
lature. The Commicsion has issued a report containing 87 specific recommendations 
to modernize our State Legislature, including the suggestion for improved facilities 
for Legislators, A new constitution convention may be called, 
I know the problems facing a State Legislator are not the dramatic issues of 
our Congress in Washington, but they are the gut issues of our every day existence, - 
the survival of our cities, education of our children, outdoor conservatim, clean 
water and clean air, crime, taxation, the hundreds of problems, big and small, that 
touch each of us, All these issues swirl about us, crying for answers; if not answers, 
then attention, We cannot avoid them in Illinois, | 
- State Rep. Edw, Copeland aa 
6118 No. Sheridan Rd, 
Chicago, Ill. 60626 

