Gerald W. Smith Memoir - Brookens Library

Gerald W. Smith 222bill was introduced during the period that it was at the passage stwhich was a matter of some 6 weeks I believe, then againday, and frequently the total day, was given to matters related tthat legislation, because it was at that particular the thein the legislature, because of the magnitude of the act andthe act. So I spent a lot of time, but s6 did a lot of other people.Dwhg this period of study it was concluded by the leadem of the Associationof Junior Colleges, concurred in by Dyl. Glenny and Dr. Browne andcertain other people, (it was decided) that the act In order to be madeworkable, to be implemented with reasonable ease, had to be the subjectof a major amendment. The attorney who had drafted the bill had draftedit in essentially the same fomn that I had described. He had cbafted itin accordance with the recommendations of the master plan, I think and veryfaithfully in relation to that. He had followed the instructions that hadcome to hh from the Governor's office, faithf'ully. However, he had notbeen active in the administration and operation of junior colleges in Illinois.There were many things of which he was not aware as he was draftingthis act, and so the bill was faulty in tern of inplementation and interms of adrdnistration in many of its paragraphs and sections. As I haveindicated, the Association of Junior Colleges at a meeting March 4, 1964,had gone on record as supporting the master plan in total, which would includedifferentiation with the Class I1 districts. Now there was a lot ofdiscussion and a lot of debate and considerable heat with rewd to certainsections, but the idea was accepted.It was decided by a meeting of the Association of Junior Colleges after thebill was introduced and while it was going through the House, that the amendatoryprocedure was of such magnitude that it had to have a concentratedeffort. And so the ssociation decided to employ an attorney, Allyn F'ranI.defrom Chicago, well versed in legislation generally and in school legislation.He was engaged to work with the cormittees on a line-by-line reviewand amendment of the act. Eventually the association spent $5,000 on thiseffort.Q. But he did not have the major responsibility. The firm that you mentionedearlier . . .A. I did not mention the firm who had the contract . . .Q. Chapman and Cutler.A. Oh no, Chapman and Cutler simply had input in that section thathave to do with capital. hds.Q. Oh, I see. 1A. And we hired Allyn F"rankie, (I say we because I was part of that).Allyn Xi'rankle was in a law firm in Chicago but Allyn was hired as an jjndividualbecause of his expertise in school law and in the writing of schoollaw. His firm was legal council to mmy school districts in the Chicqgoarea. He was picked as an individual on the basis of his expertise, asone to work with the cormnittee.