The Times from Munster, Indiana • 24

"Times Monday, January 28, 1974 few MsShiJUZ-. Tk 25 islature 6 74 Leg 1 I 'V4V 40 0 tion so that a wildlife preserve covering 200 to 400 acres could be established in the county. Eligible for third reading. HB1114 would allow a bank or a trust company to open a branch elsewhere inside the county where its principal office is located. Eligible for second reading.

HB 1137 sets Mar. 28, 1973 as the official cutoff date for servicemen seeking Vietnam War bonus from the state. Persons serving after this date do not qualify for the bonus. The bill has been sent to the Senate after passing the House 96-0. HB 1369 would amend a state law concerning the issuance of three-way liquor permits so that 16 Southern Indiana restaurants which serve liquor can apply for the permits.

Eligible for second reading. ELWOOD B. FIFIELD, Republican, Crown Point, a real estate broker and farmer, serves on the Affairs of Lake County and School Finance committees. Legislation introduced: HB 1089, co-sponsored by Hammond Democrat Paul J. Hric.

calls for the INDIANAPOLIS Following are capsule summaries of the bills introduced by the 19 House and Senate members who represent Lake and parts of other surrounding counties in the General Assembly. Through Friday, the delgation had filed about 120 bills and resolutions. Some of these have progressed and passed out of their house of origin. Others are languishing in committee the graveyard of legislation. It is safe to assume that all of the bills reported to be "in committee" -many of which were never even heard by the committee have been forgotten for the 1974 session.

Status reports following each summary are current through Wednesday-and a number of the bills have been updated to include House and Senate action Thursday. Abbreviations used below are SB for Senate Bill, HB for House Bill, HCR and SCR for House and Senate concurrent resolutions, and HJR and SJR for House and Senate joint resolutions. In preparing the summary of each bill, The Times has attempted to report the main thrust of each piece of legislation. However, it should be noted that many of the bills have additional impact. Excluded from the reports are about a dozen bills which have or will not be available in printed form.

--I-'1' i0" Zr' Legislature has passed the halfway mark. In committee. HB 1361 would give county commissioners the power to license and thereby regulate massage parlors and private trash haulers. Passed the House 83-5. JOHN R.

LARSON, Republican, Valparaiso, is a social studies teacher who is the ranking member of the Education Committee. He also serves on the Agriculture and Cities and Towns committees. Legislation introduced: HB 1010 would remove sales tax on gasoline and increase motor fuel use tax by 1.6 cents per gallon. In committee. HB 1017 would allow township school attorneys in unreorganizea school districts to be paid from the school general fund.

The bill has been sent to the Senate. 1 HB 1018 is written to abolish local license registration fees for plumbers. In committee. HB 1067 clarifies the conditions under which teachers may be granted leaves of absence. The bill has been sent to the Senate.

HB 1069 wouuld allow public employers to offer employes insurance plans which would also cover dependents. In committee HB 1101 calls for referendums on capital improvements projects costing more than $500,000. In committee. HB 1204 would give police and firemen the right to bargain collectively with disputes settled through compulsory arbitration. In committee.

DONNABELLE MAHONEY, Democrat, Hammond, is a cafeteria court clerk who is the ranking minority member on the Public Safety and Cities and Towns committees. Mrs. Mahoney, appointed to serve out the term of her late husband, John, also serves on the Criminal Code Committee. Legislation introduced: HB 1054 would have barred sexdis-crimination in the application for credit cards. Although the bill died in committee, this key provision was included in a broader civil rights act which has progressed in the House.

HB 1184 originally would have called for the licensing of repairmen and estimators who handle work on insured cars damaged in automobile accidents. The bill has been "stripped" and now allows the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to take up to 90 days before the bureau's commissioner must act to require the posting of security in accident cases. Eligible for third reading. HCR 20, co-sponsored by Larson, calls on the president and Congress to allow federal revenue sharing funds to be used for financing schools. Eligible for third reading.

HCR 32 calls on the state's legislative council to study short-term borrowing by local units of government. In committee. HCR 33 would call for a committee composed of members of the House and the Senate to study automotive repair facilities in the state. The committee would be required to report its findings by November 1, and recommend legislation on regulating the facilities for the 1975 session. In committee.

JEROME J. REPPA, Republican, Munster, a lawyer, serves as the ranking member of the Affairs of Lake County Committee. He also is a member of the Elections and Apportionment and Public Policy and Veterans Affairs committees. Legislation introduced: HB 1034 would require school corporations in Lake County to pay salaries "and expenses of attendance officers. In committee.

HB 1035 calls for the state's Department of Administration to approve the sale of land state land which has been used by a penal, benevolent, correctional or charitable institution. The bill has been sent to the Senate. HB 1110 provides for the manufacture and sale of "personalized license plates" which would be designed by the purchaser. Revenue from the additional fees for the license plates would be used in training programs for emergency ambulance personnel. Eligible for third reading.

HB 1111 is written to specify certain "implied warranties" in the sale of a new home or for new additions to real estate. The bill is eligible for third reading. ANTHONY J. ZALESKI, Democrat, East Chicago, a real estate broker who is in his third term in the House, is the ranking minority member of the Insurance and Corporations committee. He also serves on the School Finance committee.

Legislation introduced: HB 1305 would allow city housing authorities to guarantee mortgage loans for low and middle-income families. Eligible for second reading. HB 1306 provides that landfills which have been receiving services from an adjacent municipality are part of the municipality. Eligible for third reading. Senate Members ADAM BENJAMIN, Democrat, Gary, a lawyer is the ranking minority member of the Senate judiciary Committee and also serves on the Finance and Governmental Affairs committees.

Legislation introduced: SB 6, from which he has withdrawn his support, originally would have allowed businesses a tax credit on inventory goods destined for interestate com: merce. The bill, originally intended to lure new business to the state, lost Benjamin's support after it became what public employes' retirement fund creation of a mass transit authority in Lake and Porter counties. Eligible for third reading. HB 1273 would appropriate an additional one-third of the revenues from the cigarette tax to the Department of Mental Health for community mental health centers. In committee.

ROBERT FREELAND, Democrat, Gary, liquor store owner who serves on the County and Township Business and Budget committees. Legislation introduced: HB 1116 co-sponsored by Phillip T. Warner, Goshen, provides that only the portion of welfare department salaries paid by the county should be published by the county auditor. In committee. HB 1138 would prevent the retroactive application of building standards on construction plans and specifications.

The bill has not been heard in committee. HB 1268 would allow the Indiana Youth Council to make grants to not-for-profit child care centers. This bill, which requests an appropriation of $101,000, is in committee. HB 1269 sets up provisions to license vending machines in Gary with revenue raised earmarked to pay policemen for time spent in court. In committee.

HB 1270 would prohibit utility disconnections on the day prior to a weekend or a holiday. In committee. HB 1302 would appropriate $1.25 million for community action programs in the state. In committee. HB 1322 would allow the Citv of Gary to create a building authority with the power to construct, finance and lease buildings to government units in Lake County.

Eligible for third reading. JEWEL G. HARRIS, Democrat, Gary, a United Steel Workers Union staff representative, is the ranking minority member of the Labor committee and also serves on the Human Affairs and Affairs Lake County committees. Legislation introduced: HB 1062 would provide for Workmen's Compensation death benefits to persons named as beneficiaries providing there is no other dependent. In committee.

HB 1140 would make unruly conduct in front of a retail establishment a disorderly conduct offense. Eligible for second reading. HB 1160 reduces maximum finance charges on consumer credit sales or supervised loans. In committee. HB 1182 provides for tax credits of up to $25,000 per year for persons or organizations contributing money or service to groups working for the betterment of an impoverished community.

The bill has passed the house 90-0 and has been sent to the Senate. HB 1243 calls for the creation of a sickle cell anemia grant program in the State Board of Health. Eligible for sec ond reading. HB 1298 calls for the publication of the names of public officials who would benefit from the sale of land to the state or a local unit of government. Also requires government officials to report their interests in the sale.

In committee. HB 1317 is designed to establish clear procedures and policies regarding the Gary police commission's decisions on hiring, departmental promotion and disciplinary problems. Eligible for third reading. PAUL J. HRIC, Democrat, Hammond, an East Chicago Washington high school teacher, is the ranking minority member of the education Committee and a member of the Budget Committee.

Legislation introduced: HB 1089 co-sponsored by Fifield, would create a mass transit authority for Lake and Porter counties. The authority would have broad powers to upgrade or initiate mass transit service for the two-county area. Eligible for third reading. HB 1123 would bar the state or any other governmental subdivision from preventing their employes from forming, joining or holding membership in a labor organization. Eligible for second reading.

HB 1258, co-sponsored by Freeland, is aimed at eliminating traffic tie-ups caused by trains. The bill calls for the creation of a commission to study railroad-caused traffic problems. In committee. HB 1318 would allow persons contributing to the teachers' retirement fund to be included under provisions of the House Members PHILLIP E. BAINBRIDGE, Democrat, Highland, an attorney who serves as minority floor leader and the ranking minority member of the Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee.

Legislation introduced: HB 1219 is designed to create a state compensation commission which would review salaries of elected and appointed state officials. In committee. HB 1220 originally would have required insurance companies to cover the cost of mental health care in all group policies. The amended version approved in committee simply allows insurance companies to offer group plans which would cover these costs. Eligible for second reading.

HB 1221 would create a state board with the authority to regulate, license and examine social workers. The bill has had a committee hearing, but it has not been passed out for second reading. HB 1257 would allow voters to register through the mails. In committee. HB 1376 would direct a state board to study the financial impact of a 1971 law requiring that patients in mental hospitals be paid for work performed in the hospitals.

In committee. MARION J. BUSHEMI, Democrat, Gary, a retired U.S. Steel Corporation employe is the ranking minority member of the Affairs of Lake County Committee and also serves on the Labor and NaturalResources committees. Legislation introduced: HB 1161 would give senior citizens free admission to state parks and a 50 per cent discount on services at the parks.

In committee. HB 1233 would increase the so-called "old age" exemption on property taxes, increase the amount of income they can receive and still be eligible for the deduction and exclude Social Security payments from consideration in the application for the deduction. In committee. HB 1234 is designed to eliminate the requirement that the elderly pay the first $50 before they receive medical aid for the aged. It also would exclude Social Security payments from the formula used to determine eligibility for the assistance.

In committee. HB 1235 would exclude from the formula for determining supplemental assistance grants increases in Social Security payments since the end of 1971. In committee. HCR 13 calls for the state to desig- nate U.S. 41 through Indiana the "Highway of the Flags." Eligible for second reading.

HB 1292 calls for the state to erect and maintain "Highway of the Flags" markers along U.S. 41 in Indiana. STEVE COLLINS, Republican, Portage, works in the public affairs department for a steel company. Collins is the ranking member of the Labor Committee and also serves on the Affairs of Lake County and Public Safety committees. Legislation introduced: HB 1021 would increase the maximum size of estates which do not have to be probated from $5,000 to $6,000.

In committee. HB 1022 calls for county treasurers to include on tax statements information on how the tax dollar is being spent. In committee. HB 1023 would allow private schools to qualify under the Indiana State Scholarship Act. In committee.

HB 1151 would require representatives of parks and recreation boards to serve on advisory plan commissions. Eligible for third reading in the House. HCR 6 asks the U.S. Department of the Interior to review all plans and programs for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Eligible for third reading.

F. DOBIS, Democrat, Merrillville, works in the marketing department of the Gary National Bank. Dobis is the ranking minority member of the Financial Institutions Committee. He also serves on the Appointments and Claims, Public Policy and Veterans' Affairs committees. Legislation introduced: HB 1039 would allow the Lake County parks department to contract with the North American Wildlife Founda Indiana's he called an "inventory removal bill.

"The amended version, which is now similar to the original bill, is scheduled for third reading. SB 29 would require seven days notice to a depositor before an escrow account can be debited. In committee. SB 30 would create a Little Calumet River Basin District which would have both taxing and bonding authority for the construction and maintenance of flood control and recreational facilities. In committee.

SB 31 would allow city court bailiff-sin second class cities to receive mileage expenses. In committee. SB 43 is designed to create a commission which would study construction bidding procedures. In committee SB 55, co-sponsored by Ernest Nie-meyer, R.T. Lowell, would establish a family practices training program for physicians.

Eligible for third reading. SB 112 would stiffen the penalties for drug pushing. Eligible for third reading. SB 113 would provide that town courtsmust certify to the state the records a persons who plead guilty and pay fines for traffic violations. These offenses would then be computed in the state formula used to determine an "habitual traffic offender." Approved by the Senate 45-5 and sent to the House.

SB 114 would establish an ethics code for legislators, public officials and public employees. In committee. SB 115 would expand the statute covering "driving under the influence" to include persons who occupy the driver's area regardless of whether the vehicle is moving. Returned to second reading for amendment. SB 116 calls for parks and recreation boards representatives to serve on advisory plan commissions.

In committee. SB 132 would create an administrative law study commission. In committee. SJR 5 would provide for the removal from office of circuit court judges and prosecuting attorneys upon conviction of a felony. In committee.

SB 162 would require proof of vehicle inspection before a vehicle can be registered in the state. In committee. SB 163 would claify the law traffic offenders." As the law has been interpretted on at least one occasion, a habitual traffic offender, who faces stiff sanctions from the state, must commit four different series of traffic offenses. Benjamin says the law was intended to provide for tough penalties if a driver committed any one of the four series violations. Passed by Senate 47-1.

SB 208 is designed to createa study commission to examine public contracts for goods and services. In committee. SB 209 provides that the administrative officers of the Lake County Superior Court be appointed for definite terms and may be removed for cause only. Eligible for second reading. RUDOLPH CLAY, Democrat, Gary, an insurance agent, is the ranking minority member of the Public Health committee.

He also serves on the Affairs of Lake County and Legislative Apportionment committees. Legislation introduced: SB 4 is designed to establish guidelines for the protection of the rights of inmates of penal institutions. In committee. SB 5 provides that persons over 65 years of age may vote by absentee ballot. In committee.

SB 146 would give the motor vehicle commission the power to regulate commercial drivers who are threatened with the suspension or revocation of their licenses. Designed so that persons who drive for a living do not lose their jobs because their license has been re voked or suspended. In committee. SB 148 would provide that precinct committeemen be elected for four-year terms starting this year. In committee.

SB 159, would make Martin Luther King birthday a legal holiday. Eligible for second reading. SB 160 would provide for the compensation of innocent victims of crimes. In committee. SB 219 would increase ma'ximum unemployment benefits.

In committee. SCR 10 would call for the state-wide observance of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. In committee. WILLIAM C.

CHRISTY, Democrat, Hammond, an officer and director of the Lake Federal Savings and Loan Association, is the ranking minority member of the Affairs of Lake County and Lbor committees. Christy also serves on the government affairs and natural Resources committees. Legislation introduced: SB 19 would designate the first Monday in March as a commemorative day in honor of Casimir Pulaski, one of. the heroes of the Revolutionary War. Approved by the Senate and passed to the House.

SB 20 would allow county employes to be paid every two weeks rather than bi-monthly. The bill has been sent to the House. SB 67 would reduce the state sales tax from four to three per cent. In committee. SB 252 proposes broad changes in laws covering workmen's compensation.

Also would make workmen's compensation mandatory and increase benefits. In committee. SB 266, another workmen's compensation bill, would make provisions of the Workmen's Occupational Disease Act mandatory. It also would increase benefits, the range of coverage and allows the employe to select their physician. In committee.

JAMES A. GARDNER, Republican, Fowler, is the majority floor leader in the Senate, gardner also serves as the chairman of the public policy committee and as a member of the Education and Interstate Cooperation committee. Legislation introduced: SB 225 would ammend the State Personnel Act concerning the certification of persons eligible for employment. Passed in the Senate 47-0 and sent to the House. SB 33 proposes that federal revenue sharing funds may be appropriated for the support of public libraries.

Sent to the House. SB 234 would bar preferencialtreat-ment for U.S. citizens in hiring by the state. The legislation is designed to conform with recent court decisions. Sent to the House.

SB 235 would allow the state highway commission to prescribe tags or decals for use with permits for tractor mobile-home rigs. Sent to the House. SB 236 would call for changes in criminal sentencing and the determination of insanity. Eligible for second reading. SB 237 is designed to regulate the actions of lobbyists in the General Assembly.

In committee. SB 257 would require manufacturers and suppliers of beer and malt beverages to grant exclusive territories to their wholesalers. Eligible for third reading. SCR 9 would create a state study commission to review the state pension fund. Sent to the house.

ERNEST NiemeyerRepublican, Lowell, the president and operator of the Lowell Livestock Auction Market, serves on the Affairs of Lake County, Legislative Apportionment, Environment and Ecology and Natural Resources committees. Legislation introduced: SB 83 would give voting powers to regional plan commission members appointed by the governor. In committee. SB 94 is designed to define the powers of the Public Service Commission in regards to sewage disposal in rural areas. In committee.

SCR 4 creates a special committee to study transportation and public utilities as they relate to the Public Service Commission. In committee. SB 54 would establish a schedule for the reorganization of school corporations. In committee. SB 155 would create a public television broadcasting fund in the state.

The fund be used to support educational television. Eligible for second reading. SB 156 would allow the Indiana prosecuting attorneys council to call conferences of prosecuting attorneys. The attorney general now calls the conferences. Defeated 28-22 in the Senate.

SB 299 would allow a national organization to develop two state parks in Lake County as wildlife preserves. Nie-meyer said possible sites for the parks in Lake County are Leroy Park dar Lake Park. Although this bill probably will not get out of committee, a duplicate bill in the House has advanced. RALPH J. POTESTA, Republican, Hammond, is the executive director of the Northern Indiana Sheet Metal Contractors Association.

Potesta serves on the Affairs of Lake County, Education, government Affairs and Natural Resources committees. Legislation introduced: SB 44, co-sponsored by Christy, would allow cities to collect fees for emergency ambulance service. Eligible for second reading. SB 45 call forthe reorganization of welfare boards and calls for members to be appointed by the Circuit Court judge. Also provides that no more than three of the five members shall be members of the same political party and that a township trustee shall be appointed to one of the posts.

Eligible for third reading. SB 46 would divide Lake County into three districts with approximately equal population for the purpose of electing county commissioners. The commissioners would be elected by residents of the district, not "at-large" by the entire county. Passed the Senate 28-22. SB 123 would require that inspectors for the beauty board be licensed beauticians with at least three years experience.

In committee. SB 124 proposes amendments to a law which called for the redisricting of the Lake County commissioners' districts. The bill would change the date by which the redistricting must be approved. Eligible for third reading. SB 143 would exempt hearing aids and prescription eyeglasses from the sales tax.

In committee. SCR 6 urges the state to study the feasibility of acquiring the Hoosier Prairie as a nature preserve. Sent to the House KING TELLE, Republican, Valparaiso, is a retired school principal who serves as the ranking member of the Affairs of LakeCounty Committee and also serves on the Elections, Governmental Affairs and Natural Resources committees. Legislation introduced: SB 96 would allow the Indiana Port Commission to spend its funds without approval of other state agencies. Also would allow the commission to use revenues and investment interest to pay operating expenses.

SB 97 would permit the Indiana Port Commission to purchase goods or let construction contractswithout advertising if the expenditure is less than $5,000 or if it has been approved by the governor. Also gives the commission the authority to spend other funds without seeking approval from the attorney general. Eligible for second reading..