Vol. LXXXi, No. 25-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Wednesday, June 9, 1971 Ten Cents Eight Pages
ACTION THIS YEAR UNLIKELY
Abortion bill stymied in House
I
By ROSE SUE BERSTEIN
Efforts to liberalize Michigan's abortion
law have apparently failed, at least for
this year.
Although a House vote on the latest
reform bill was expected this week, yes-
terday's 5-4 vote of the House Social
Services and Corrections Committee to
table the measure effectively blocked any
reforms in the current law for this year.
The proposed statute, submitted by
Sen. Gilbert Bursley (R-Ann Arbor) and
passed by a 20-17 vote in the Senate last
March, would permit a woman to have
an abortion for any reason during the
first 90 days of her pregnancy if she had
been a Michigan resident for at least
that long.
The House committee rejected efforts
to add an amendment to put the abor-
tion reform issue on the ballot if it should
receive "legislative approval." The meet-
ing then adjourned by the same vote.
Chairman David Holmes (D-Detroit),
an admitted opponent of the reform bill
commented yesterday: "We will not meet
on this bill again until we're ready to
move on it."
The four other Democrats on the com-
mittee voted with Holmes, while the four
Republicans voted to send the measure
to the floor for House action.
Leading abortion reform advocate and
floor manager of the Bursley bill, Rep.
Richard Allen (R-Ithaca) sharply cri-
ticized the committee move.
"The whole procedure has been a
sham-a mockery of public trust," Allen
declared.
"People might as well realize," he com-
mented, "we're not going to pass it or
even vote on it. I don't see any reason to
put any faith in the speaker or in the
chairman."
House Speaker William Ryan (D-De-
troit), another avowed opponent of abor-
tion reform legislation, had referred the
bill originally to the social services com-
mittee.
See ACTION, Page 3
Care for the aged
An elderly woman listens to Psychiatry Prof. David Sanders of Michigan State University address last night's session of the
Conference on Aging in Rackham Amphitheater. Speakers last night dealt with "Creative Treatment in Mental Institu-
tions." A final session this morning will conclude the annual conference.
INF ORMAL SURVEY:
Prof accetpyhkdla
fs y
By ALAN LENIIOFF state they should have looked for oth- general fund allotment from the state,
In a representative poll of University er (revenue) sources. is being drawn up in a committee of the
faculty members taken last night, the "The University has been hurt in the State Legislature.
majority of those queried appeared will- past by inadequate faculty pay, raises. The bill is expected to be similar to
ing to accept the recent administrative This action will add to their problems a proposal put forth in February by
decision 'to delay granting annual aca- of attracting and keeping faculty mem- Governor William Milliken which would
demic staff pay increases for an in- bers," Fusfeld predicted. increase the state appropriation to the
definite period of time. Currently, the State Higher Educa- University by only $2.8 million over the
University officials have said the ac- tion Bill, which includes the University's previous fiscal year.
tion was necessary because a lack of ac-
curate information concerning the level
of state funding to the University for
the 1971-72 fiscal year beginning July
1 made the amount available for pay
raises uncertain.
Math Prof. Bernard Galler views the
move as being a simple case of econom-
ic necessity. "We don't know how much
money we are going to have, so how
can we possibly set salaries? We cer-
tainly can't commit money we don't
have," he says.
A concurring viewpoint is offered by
Journalism Prof. and Department
Chairman William Porter. "As I see it,
its simply a bookkeeping expedience. I
don't see it as a political issue at all -
anyone who does probably just doesn't
understand it . . . Nothing can be done
until the Legislature passes a budget. I
can't remember a year in which they
haven't passed the budget before July 1,
but clearly they won't this year."
"I find myself amused with the whole
matter," counters History Prof. Sam
Warner. "When you see the (University)
vice presidents, they tell you that they,
know all about these things - but this
- action shows that t h e y really don't
know.
"It's hard to take this thing serious-
ly," Warner continues. "The -administra-
tion made a big mess with the Legisla-
ture. These people (the administration)
don't stand for anything. It's not as if
they went to the Legislature fighting
for something they believed in and lost
- they simply lost without fighting."
Economics Prof. Daniel Fusfeld call-
ed the action "a very dangerous game.
The (University) administration should
have set a level for salary raises, and
if they didn't get enough funds from the
Budget
By GERI SPRUNG
Daily News Analysis
Among the city agencies who complained
loudly when next year's city budget was
approved last month was the police depart-
ment. For although they received about
one-third of the general operating funds
for the entire city, Ann Arbor police claim
they will be sorely pressed to operate at a
level they would like.
But other city departments are also
complaining, as all agencies were cut to
austerity levels before City Council finally
approved the budget.
According to Mayor Robert Harris, while
"police, fire and public works departments
will be functioning way below the levels
they 'ideally' should be, youth services,
Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, Hous-
ing code enforcement, and day care cen-
ters have had their funds cut completely
to the bone."
Police originally submitted a budget re-
quest of $3.4 million which included ap-
propriations for new cars and equipment,
additional manpower, training programs,
and overtime pay. All these requests were
cut in the $2.7 million the city appropriated
to the police.
In addition, the state aid Ann Arbor's
police receive through the University has
been reduced so that services to the Uni-
versity are also to be limited.
"The biggest handicap," Ann Arbor Po-
lice Chief Walter Krasny explains, "will be
OVERTIME CUT
troii bles
police
emergency, the police will not hesitate to
call up the full force and go over the over-
time budget.
If such a situation evolved, City Admin-
istrator Guy Larcom says he would then
go over appropriations figures again and
take money out of other departments al-
ready funded at minimum levels to pay
for police overtime.
Further, it is virtually up to the police
to determine what is an emergency. Kras-
ny says that if any kind of confrontation
were to take place over the year, he would
not hesitate to call out the entire Ann
Arbor Police Department and in doing so
exceed his budget's limit, rather than call
in other police agencies such as the Wash-
tenaw County Sheriff's Department.
The real impact of the reduced overtime
budget, however, comes not from confron-
tations, now not funded-but from rou-
tine overtimes.
A further impact of the budget appro-
priation within the department will be set-
ting priorities with what kinds of things
they will deal with. "We may not be able to
respond to parking complaints, barking
dogs, or noisy parties," says Krasny. "Al-
so, we may have a longer response time
when the police are not needed on the
scene, as in many petty larceny cases."
In routine work, therefore, the police
will still be able to do their job, though
See BUDGET, Page 3
Chief Krasny
manpower and cuts in the overtime budget
-reduced from $350,000 to $119,000."
Krasny feels the overtime cuts will have
a large impact because "if we have to live
within the budget, there may be times that
we can't take as many preventive mea-
sures to keep peace in the community as
we have in the past." Further he adds,
"We will have to do with our manpower
on duty, unless a real emergency occurs."
But even so, the police department has
more leeway in going over their budget
and putting the city in deficit than almost
any other department. City administra-
tors agree that if there is any kind of