Summary Information
John D. Medinger Papers
1977-1992
- Medinger, John D. (John Donald), 1948-
La Crosse Mss CN
3.4 c.f. (9 archives boxes)
UW-La Crosse Murphy Library / La Crosse Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Subject files, mainly 1987-1992, of a pro-life Catholic Democrat from La Crosse who served in the Wisconsin Assembly from 1977 to 1992. Included are legislative drafts and notes; background information and clippings; and correspondence exchanged with constituents, special interest groups, and other legislators. Major correspondents include physicians from the Gundersen Clinic, legislators Brian Rude and Virgil Roberts, Barbara Lyons of Wisconsin Citizens Concerned for Life, and representatives of the La Crosse Area Alliance for the Mentally Ill. The best documented topics include abortion, adoption, alcohol, child care, gambling, the Hmong, mental illness, and topics of local La Crosse interest. A few files relate to the adoption activities of Representative Stephen Leopold of Milwaukee.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-lx00cn ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
John Donald Medinger was born in La Crosse on April 26, 1948, the third of Donald and Audrey Medinger's eight children. Donald Medinger ran a service station in La Crosse and was involved in local politics, serving for 22 years on the La Crosse City Common Council and 13 years on the La Crosse County Board. John grew up in La Crosse and graduated from Thomas Aquinas High School and from UW-La Crosse in 1970 from which he earned a degree in political science and history. In 1972 he received an M.A. in education. Prior to his election to the Assembly, Medinger held several jobs including teacher, service station operator, bus driver, bartender, construction worker, grocery clerk, and VISTA volunteer.
Medinger became involved with the La Crosse area politics at an early age. At age eighteen he was a go-fer during Walter Mondale's visit to La Crosse. In 1976 he became a candidate for elective office, defeating Charles Whaley, Jr. for the 95th District Assembly seat which included portions of La Crosse and its surrounding villages. Medinger went on to serve sixteen years in the Assembly. While in the Legislature, he served on and chaired numerous committees and commissions including State Affairs, Agriculture, Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Children and Human Services, and special committees on the future of the University System, regulation of gambling and alcohol, and pregnancy options. Medinger was also elected assistant majority leader in 1985. A full list of Medinger's committee assignments is contained in biennial issues of the Wisconsin Blue Book.
In addition to his duties in the Assembly, Medinger was heavily involved in La Crosse area organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, Eagles, Moose, La Crosse County Historical Society, and La Crosse County Democratic Party. Other affiliations reflecting Medinger's personal interests and areas of concern included membership in the NAACP, Viterbo College Board of Advisors, St. Francis Hospital Board of Advisors, Knights of Columbus, Wisconsin Citizens Concerned for Life, Bread for the World, La Crosse Association for Retarded Citizens, Sons of the American Legion, Coulee Council on Alcoholism, Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the Shelby Mutual Aid and Benevolent Society.
In 1992 Medinger chose not to seek reelection in order to spend more time with his family, which by that time included two African-American children. Medinger did not leave state politics altogether however, working as the Western Wisconsin Regional Coordinator for U.S. Senator Russell Feingold's 1992 campaign. In 1997 Medinger successfully ran for mayor of La Crosse, winning by a 2-to-1 margin. At the time his Assembly papers were arranged and described in 1998 Medinger was still in office.
Scope and Content Note
The collection documents the legislative career of a prominent Democratic state legislator from La Crosse who is known for his strong religious beliefs, his advancement of the interests of his home district, and his ability as a consensus builder.
Unfortunately the collection is not complete. The bulk of files cover the period from the 1987-1988 through the 1991-1992 legislative sessions, with only limited subject files from his earlier terms. There are no speeches, no political campaign files, and no material about his role as assistant majority leader in the collection. There are also no organic committee records. Nevertheless, the Medinger Papers are an important research resource. The documentation about his sixteen-year tenure add to an unusually strong collection of historical resource material about La Crosse area legislators held by the Historical Society: Raymond Bice (1946-1968), Wayne Hood (1947-1968), Virgil Roberts (1973-1984), Brian Rude (1985-1987), and Medinger's predecessor, Paul Offner (1975-1977, Assembly, and 1977-1984, Senate). Because Medinger was such a strong advocate for his district, the collection documents well the La Crosse position on numerous important statewide issues such as abortion, gambling, and the legal drinking age, as well as several purely local issues. In comparison with his contemporaries Medinger's correspondence is also of an unusually high quality. The evidence suggests that he personally read each letter and made notes about the response. Even his orchestrated form letters were uniquely tailored to suit specific audiences. The collection also documents well the legislation with which he was particularly associated. Medinger's bills are represented not only by correspondence and background information but also typed and handwritten notes regarding draft bills. Finally, although there are no true personal papers in the collection, Medinger emerges as a distinct individual in the papers. His strong Catholic pro-life views are evident in the correspondence as is his occasional discomfort with some aspects of the pro-life camp. Medinger's personal views also intersected interestingly with other important legislative issues such as gambling and alcohol.
This collection is comprised of alphabetically arranged files containing background material, correspondence and memoranda, notes, bill drafts, and clippings. Substantially documented topics were arranged by genre (i.e., correspondence, background information, clippings) in order to facilitate access.
Medinger's correspondents include constituents, legislators such as Brian Rude and Virgil Roberts, advocacy groups, and lobbyists for special interest groups. Following the legalization of abortion in the early 1970s, legislation about abortion became one of the most important and controversial political topics, and Medinger's abortion file is the largest within the collection. This file includes correspondence from constituents and extensive contacts with Barbara Lyons of Wisconsin Citizens Concerned for Life. Another important legislative debate of the 1980s concerned the legal drinking age. Because La Crosse was the home of one of Wisconsin's largest breweries, raising the drinking age would greatly impact the brewery's sales. Medinger worked to lower the legal drinking age, arguing that if eighteen-year olds were old enough to vote and serve in the armed forces, they were also old enough to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages. After the state drinking age increased to 19 and later 21, Medinger continued to push for lowering the age to 18. Medinger even proposed a compromise that would allow 19- and 20-year-olds to consume beverages on-site but not to carry out their purchases. This bill did not pass, but it is representative of Medinger's attempts to reach compromise on many legislative issues. The 1980s and 1990s witnessed the introduction of gambling in Minnesota and Iowa, and La Crosse area tourism appeared to lose money as a result. On this issue Medinger's beliefs were in direct opposition to area business leaders who wanted gambling in Wisconsin.
For unknown reasons the collection includes a few files about adoption from the office of Representative Steve Leopold of Milwaukee. Medinger and his wife adopted two children so perhaps Leopold gave Medinger his subject file for personal reasons.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by John Medinger, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1993. Accession Number: M93-056
Processed by Heather A. Muir (archives intern), 1998.
Contents List
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Abortion
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General
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Box
1
Folder
1-2
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1977-1978
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Box
1
Folder
3-5
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, 1979-1980 (Human Life Amendment)
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Box
1
Folder
6-13
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1981-1988
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Box
1
Folder
12-14
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1989-1990 (AB500, AB38)
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Box
1
Folder
15
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1991-1992
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Parental consent (AB180), 1985-1986
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Respect for Life
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Box
1
Folder
17
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1989-1990
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1991-1992
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Box
1
Folder
18
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Clippings
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Box
1
Folder
19
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Correspondence
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Notes & drafts (AB622)
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Wisconsin Catholic Conference
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Adoption
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Box
2
Folder
3
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General, 1989-1992
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Guardianship (AB63), 1989-1990
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Box
2
Folder
5-8
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Leopold files, 1981-1982
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Open (AB64), 1989-1990
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Pre-existing conditions
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Box
2
Folder
10
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General, 1987-1989
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Box
2
Folder
11-12
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AB164, 1989-1990
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Box
2
Folder
13
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Tax credit (AB785), 1987-1988
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Alcohol and drug abuse
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Box
2
Folder
14-15
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1977-1984
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1985-1986
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Box
2
Folder
16
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Correspondence
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Box
2
Folder
17
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Notes and drafts (AB5 Cocaine bill)
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1987-1988
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Box
2
Folder
18
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Correspondence
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Box
2
Folder
19
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Notes and drafts (AB662, 667)
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Alcohol and drug boot camps, 1989-1990
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Animal research, 1987-1992
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Box
3
Folder
3
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“Baby Doe” guidelines, 1987-1998
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Beverage signs (AB251), 1985-1986
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Capital expenditure review of hospital regulations, 1985-1988
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Car collectors, 1985-1992
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Child abuse and criminal surcharge, 1985-1988
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Child placements, Judicial review, 1985-1986
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Box
3
Folder
9-10
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Cigarette vending, 1989-1992
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Community service (AB 391), 1985-1986
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Box
3
Folder
12-13
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Comparable worth, 1983-1985
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Box
3
Folder
14
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Crime injury reporting, 1987-1988
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Box
3
Folder
15
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Crime Stoppers restitution (AB577), 1987-1988
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Box
3
Folder
16
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Custodial parents, 1989-1992
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Box
3
Folder
17
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Death penalty, 1977-1988
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Box
3
Folder
18-24
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Drinking age, 1977-1990
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Drunk driving (AB30), 1987-1988
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Box
4
Folder
2-6
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Early Childhood and Parenting Initiatives Committee, 1987-1990
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Electric co-ops, 1987-1988
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Ethics codes for local officials, 19889-1990
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Fallout shelters property tax, 1991-1992
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Box
4
Folder
10
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Fetal Homicide, 1985-1988
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Fifth standard for mental commitment
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Box
4
Folder
11
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1983-1984
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1985-1986
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Box
4
Folder
12
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Correspondence
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Box
4
Folder
13
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Information
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Box
4
Folder
14
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Notes and drafts (AB311)
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Box
4
Folder
15
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1987-1990
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1991-1992
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Box
4
Folder
16
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Clippings and information
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Correspondence
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Box
4
Folder
17
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1991, January-March
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Box
5
Folder
1-2
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1991, April-1992
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Notes and drafts (AB203)
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Box
5
Folder
4
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Firearms, 1989-1992
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Box
5
Folder
5-7
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Fireworks, 1987-1990
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Box
5
Folder
8-11
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Floodplain zoning, 1983-1986
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Box
5
Folder
12
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Funeral procession safety, 1991-1992
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Gambling
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Box
5
Folder
13
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1977-1990
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1991-1992
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Box
5
Folder
14
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Clippings
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Correspondence
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Box
5
Folder
15-16
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1991-1992, March
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Box
6
Folder
1
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1992, April-December
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Box
6
Folder
2
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Information
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Box
6
Folder
3
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Notes and drafts
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Testimony before committee hearings
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Box
6
Folder
5
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Gas tax indexing (AB 256), 1991-1992
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Box
6
Folder
6
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Good Samaritan Law, 1985-1988
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Box
6
Folder
7
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Greyhound breeding, 1991-1992
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Box
6
Folder
8
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Highway 53 dredging, 1987-1992
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Hmong
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Box
6
Folder
9-13
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1991-1992
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Box
6
Folder
14
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Attorney
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Box
6
Folder
15
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Correspondence
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Box
6
Folder
16
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Homestead credits (AB474) , 1987-1988
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Box
7
Folder
2
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Homestead credits for nursing home residents (AB786), 1987-1988
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Box
7
Folder
3-4
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Hospice care, 1987-1990
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Box
7
Folder
5
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Indian burial sites, 1985-1992
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Box
7
Folder
6-7
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Indian treaties, 1989-1992
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Box
7
Folder
8
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Kickapoo Oil Company claim, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
9
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La Crosse Alcohol and Youth and Law Committee, 1979-1980
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Box
7
Folder
10
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La Crosse Joint Harbor Commission, 1989-1992
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Box
7
Folder
11
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La Crosse Asian business district, 1989-1990
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Box
7
Folder
12
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Loans for textbooks, 1987-1988
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Box
7
Folder
13
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Local mandates, 1991-1992
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Box
7
Folder
14
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Medicare payment inequity, 1987-1988
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Box
7
Folder
15
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Mental illness, 1977-1988
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Municipal service fees
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Box
7
Folder
16-18
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, 1989-1990 (AB 39)
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Box
7
Folder
19
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1991-1992
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Box
8
Folder
1
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Obscenity (AB175), 1987-1988
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Box
8
Folder
2
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Optometrists and medication (AB161), 1987-1988
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Parental rights termination
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Box
8
Folder
3-5
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1985-1988
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Box
8
Folder
6-7
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, 1989-1990 (AB272)
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Box
8
Folder
8
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1991-1992
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Box
8
Folder
9
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Physical therapists (AB178), 1987-1988
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Box
8
Folder
10
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Posse Comitatus, 1979-1984
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Box
8
Folder
11
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Property tax payment schedule, 1989-1990
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Box
8
Folder
12
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Purple Heart Highway (AB257), 1991-1992
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Box
8
Folder
13
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Purple Heart license plates, 1987-1988
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Retirement
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Box
8
Folder
14
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Creditable service, 1987-1988
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Box
8
Folder
15
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Retirement System, 1987-1988
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Box
8
Folder
16
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Other issues, 1987-1988
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Box
8
Folder
17
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School bus safety (AB679 and 685), 1987-1988
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Box
8
Folder
18
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Sexual assault of the elderly, 1985-1886
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Box
8
Folder
19
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Sibling search (AB735), 1991-1992
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Box
8
Folder
20
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Small claims proceedings (AB56), 1985-1986
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Box
9
Folder
1
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Sobriety check points, 1991-1992
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Box
9
Folder
2-4
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Soil erosion, 1989-1992
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Box
9
Folder
5
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Stop signs (AB27), 1987-1988
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Box
9
Folder
6
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Unemployment compensation (AB287), 1991-1992
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Box
9
Folder
7
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Veterans' alcoholism (AB713), 1991-1992
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Box
9
Folder
8
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Zebra mussels, 1991-1992
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