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Q. Governor, what do you plan to seek in the next session of the
General Assembly? Are there any particular plans that you have? Are
there any items you will be looking for for the next year?
A. Well, I haven't made any analysis of that. Right now I'm more
concerned with looking over the bills that have been passed that are
waiting my signature and making judgments on them. I think that
there are some bills that passed in the final moments of the session
that need to be carefully reviewed before they are signed, and I won't
decide what's to be done about new programs until much later in the
year.
Q. Have you any new ideas or have you heard anything more on the
tax plan? Have you had any comments from around the state on the
tax reform proposal?
A. I find there's a great lessening of resistance to the tax plan now
that it seems to be better understood. I think the unanimity of both
houses of the Legislature and the overwhelming mandate they gave in
approval of the plan has put to rest much of the resistance to it.
Q. Is there anything in particular that you were disappointed in this
legislative session as far as bills not going through as you hoped?
A. Whatever minor disappointments I may have had, have been so
far overshadowed by a tremendous feeling of respect for the work
that was done that they are insignificant.
Q. Governor, you said you were going to appoint a commission to
study the death penalty situation. When will you appoint the com-
mission?
A. I suppose that I would talk to Senator James and Mr. Mandel
about the work of such a commission, and we would probably want
to do something in this regard sometime within the next few months.
Q. With regard to commutations, in an earlier press conference you
said that the death penalty would rarely be invoked. Now there are
twenty-one people.
A. Well, I said exactly it would take a crime of particularly heinous
quality for me to invoke the death penalty. And this is not an opinion
that's arrived at recently or is any way connected with the bill to
abolish capital punishment. This has been my belief right along. I'll
look at the cases on a one-by-one basis, is what I'm saying.
Q. What about spending next year, Governor? Do you expect to re-
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