The papers of Joseph Czerwinski present a comprehensive overview of his legislative career and its many aspects. Especially well represented are his interests in health and health-related issues, his work with the Assembly Committee on Health and Social Services, his attendance and participation at conferences and meetings, and his research into the important health and medical issues of the day, as shown in his reference and subject files. Less numerous are Czerwinski's files of constituent cases and correspondence and personal papers.
The collection has been arranged into six series, in part reflecting the arrangement created in Czerwinski's office. The series are: Personal Papers and Office Files, Committee Records, Conferences and Meetings, Correspondence, Legislative Bill Files and Related Papers, and Reference and Subject Files. The researcher should be sure to check for pertinent materials in all series, as the topics overlap, especially where similar legislation was introduced in several sessions.
PERSONAL PAPERS AND OFFICE FILES consist of such personal files as biographical materials, including prepared resumes and newsclippings; address and Christmas card lists; campaign records and party lists; insurance records; and records from the Czerwinskis' wedding. Office or legislative files include lists and rosters of committee assignments; a small file of constituent case files on his legislative scholarships and tuition remissions, travel and telephone allowances, and the relationship between his office, the Health and Social Services Committee, and the Department of Health and Social Services. Also included in this series are questionnaires sent out by Czerwinski's office on three occasions, many with names and addresses included, and in some cases, with partial tabulations of the results. Most of the questionnaires include comments and reactions of the respondents.
Czerwinski's COMMITTEE RECORDS mainly pertain to the Health and Social Services and Medical Education Review Committees, with a few items representing his work with the Conference Committee on Child Abuse, the Committee on Local Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Retail Food Prices. Within the files on the Health and Social Services Committee are located a variety of materials concerning committee, public, and executive hearings held by the Committee on proposed legislation, changes in administrative rules by the Department of Health and Social Services, and major issues of importance to legislators and citizens alike. General files concerning the Health and Social Services Committee contain attendance rosters, committee records listing all legislation considered, committee reports of voting by members and action taken on particular bills, status reports of legislation, and hearings files. Within the latter files are attendance and voting records, copies of bills and amendments, committee records and announcements of meetings, an occasional transcript of the proceedings, correspondence concerning the legislation or subject under consideration, and printed and typewritten statements and testimony presented to the Committee by interested persons. Also included are five tape recordings of actual Committee hearings. Similar records, although less varied in scope, illustrate the organization and activities of the Medical Educational Review Committee (MERC), which Czerwinski chaired. The Medical Education Review Committee met monthly to consider Wisconsin's graduate medical education programs. All of the Committee files are arranged alphabetically by name of committee, and chronologically thereunder by date of meeting or hearing.
As Czerwinski developed his expertise in the health fields, he was invited to speak and attend numerous regional and national CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS. He was an active participant in meetings sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Council of State Governments, as well as conferences sponsored by other local, regional and national organizations. The files of conference documentation are arranged chronologically by date of meeting, and contain such items as conference agenda, lists of participants, texts of speeches and papers presented, correspondence regarding the meeting, occasional travel and financial materials, and copies of Czerwinski's notes and speeches, if presented. The records are most numerous from 1977 to 1979. Following the files on conferences and meetings are several folders of Czerwinski's speeches, for which there was no accompanying documentation.
Czerwinski's CORRESPONDENCE fills approximately two and one-half cubic feet, and is most numerous from the late 1970's. It appears that much of his constituent mail was not retained by the office staff, as there is relatively little to be found in the collection. In addition to the constituent mail present, the files include correspondence with other legislators; with state agency staff, particularly Donald Percy and Manuel Carballo of the Department of Health and Social Services; and memos from Czerwinski's office staff. There is little personal correspondence, but there are several folders of invitations - both personal and public - which illustrate Czerwinski's other activities. For the most part, the original filing system for correspondence has been retained; the office staff divided letters by two-year legislative session or by single year, and then arranged the documents alphabetically thereunder by last name of writer or recipient. There are also a few folders of correspondence concerning particular topics, which have also been retained intact.
The files of LEGISLATIVE BILLS AND RELATED PAPERS consist of histories of the progress of legislation through the Assembly and Senate, with the actual bills and amendments and related papers. All of the bills in the collection were either introduced by Czerwinski, introduced or considered by the Committee on Health and Social Services, or were of particular interest to Czerwinski, as evidenced by his collected notes, correspondence, or reference materials. Other bills not included in these categories were discarded. Both bill histories and bills and related papers are arranged by two-year legislative session, with bills arranged consecutively thereunder by bill number. Within each folder may be found copies of amendments and drafts, constituent correspondence (if any), Czerwinski's notes regarding the issue; and occasionally, reference material in the form of printed matter, testimony and statements from professional organizations and interested parties, and copies of similar legislation introduced in Congress or other state legislatures.
The final, and largest series in the collection is comprised of Czerwinski's REFERENCE AND SUBJECT FILES. These files are arranged alphabetically by subject or topic, and illustrate the amount of study and preparation which Czerwinski and his staff made prior to committee and floor votes. Almost every file contains evidence of such study in the form of Czerwinski's handwritten notes, annotated scholarly articles and reading material, and letters requesting expert information and input into the legislative process. Most of the files pertain to health and medical topics, with others concerning general legislative business and bills. Particularly noteworthy files include those on medical education, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), generic drugs, health insurance, hospital cost containment and certificate of need legislation, infant health screening (EPSDT) and childhood immunization programs, medicaid, the Medical College of Wisconsin and proposed medical center for southeastern Wisconsin, mental health, taxes and tax legislation, welfare, and zoning laws.
