Title: John A. Volk Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1983-1990

Creator:

• Volk, John A., 1915-2008

Call Number: Stevens Point Mss AX

Quantity: 7.2 cubic feet (19 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the Nelis R. Kampenga University Archives & Area Research Center, Learning Resources Center, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

UW-Stevens Point Library / Stevens Point Area Research Ctr. (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Legislative papers, mainly 1985-1990, of John A. Volk, a former Democratic representative (1983-1990) from Wabena, Wisconsin. Included are constituent correspondence, speeches, newsletters, clippings about Volk's legislative activities, and subject files about legislation concerning a variety of statewide and district topics such as the lumber industry and Menominee Indian treaty rights. Additional files relate to his co-chairmanship of the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems (JSCRS) and the Retirement Research Committee (RRC), 1985-1988. About his JSCRS responsibilities there are handwritten notes; memoranda prepared by Blair Testin, director of the RRC; testimony and information on bills that dealt with early retirement of teachers and public employees and divestment of state holdings in South Africa; and correspondence with State Taxpayers Outraged about Pensions (STOP) and other opponents and proponents of legislation concerning retirement benefits.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-stpt00ax

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Democratic assemblyman John A. Volk was born in Wabena, Wisconsin on September 28, 1915. His early background included work in a shipyard and an aircraft factory, as well as truck driving. Volk is also a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor and a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

In 1943 Volk began dairy farming in the Wabena area on land entirely surrounded by Nicolet National Forest. At times he supplemented his income by working in the woods. He was a member of Associated Milk Producers and the Antigo Milk Products Cooperative.

Volk's background also includes a strong involvement in local government. During the years from 1947 to 1949 he served as chairman of the Town of Freedom and as Forest County supervisor. From 1952 to 1975 he was a member of the local school board. In 1983 when Volk was sixty-seven and semi-retired from farming he ran for the Wisconsin Assembly in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Lloyd Kincaid who had been elected to the Senate. Writing about his decision to seek state elective office in the Wisconsin Academy Review in 1986 Volk commented that his experience in local government had given him some insight into the workings of government but that he tended to regard state government as a convenient scapegoat for every problem that did not have a simple solution.

Volk was reelected to the Legislature in 1984, 1986 and 1988. His committee appointments included Agriculture (1985-1990), Education (1985-1989, vice-chair, 1985-1987), Tourism (1985-1990), Highways (1987-1988), Primary and Secondary Education (vice-chair, 1983-1985), and Rural Development and Forestry (1985; chair, 1989-1990). He also served as co-chair of the Retirement Research Committee (RRC) and the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems (JSCRS) from 1985 to 1988.

In 1990 Volk declined to run for reelection.

The Volk Papers span the years from 1983 to 1990 and cover many legislative issues and constituent concerns, although the coverage is best for the period 1985 to 1990. The papers are arranged as BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL, CONSTITUENT CORRESPONDENCE, SUBJECT FILES AND CASE WORK, LEGISLATIVE FILES, AND JCSCR RECORDS.

The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of speeches, newsletters, and a chronological file of clippings about Volk's legislative activities. The newspaper clippings represent material received from a clipping service, and they cover his entire political career. The newsletter file contains Volk's annual printed letter to his constituents. Although the newsletter regularly contained a constituent questionnaire no summarized results were received with the papers. The CONSTITUENT CORRESPONDENCE, however, contains some letters Volk wrote in reply to some of the more extended questionnaire responses he received.

The speeches cover only the period 1983 to 1986, and with the exception of one item (1985 testimony on the Industrial Development Expansion Act) they represent remarks to non-legislative audiences. There are no drafts or notes for his floor remarks. Also filed with the speeches is his 1986 Wisconsin Academy Review article which was based on an earlier speech. Although Volk's speeches comprise a relatively small quantity of documentation they are important as they contain a good deal of the legislator's own background and outlook. As a retired farmer Volk represented a type of legislator that was once common in Wisconsin but that was rare during a period when the Legislature was largely composed of college-educated, professional legislators. The special outlook that his age and background provided can be seen particularly in Volk's remarks on forestry, farming, and education, and his undated remarks on abortion are especially personal and heartfelt.

The CONSTITUENT CORRESPONDENCE is arranged chronologically by month, but only the period 1985 to 1990 is documented. (There are also some small incidental gaps within the coverage of the 1985-1990 period.) Taken as a whole the correspondence is remarkable for the attention that Volk paid to this part of his responsibilities to his constituents, frequently writing his replies in longhand and then editing the typed drafts. Many of the subjects covered were those of strong concern in the decade of the 1980s such as abortion, education, property taxes, and highway construction. There is no name or subject index to this portion of the collection, and much of the routine or redundant mail has been removed.

The SUBJECT AND CASE WORK FILES span the period from 1983 to 1990 and are arranged alphabetically by keyword. The subjects are primarily legislation being considered, together with some topics of local concern in which Volk was involved such as the desire of the Blackwell Civilian Conservation Center to grant GED certificates, the attempt to prevent the destruction of the last water powered saw mill in Wisconsin, and treaty rights on Legend Land and Lake Moshawquit. This series contains correspondence, memoranda, notes, articles, and press releases. Additional correspondence relating to some of the files may often be found filed in the appropriate time period within the CONSTITUENT CORRESPONDENCE.

The LEGISLATIVE RECORDS series consists of correspondence, written testimony submitted at hearings, notes, and annotated drafts of bills considered during the 1989-1990 session. Similar material for the 1983-1986 sessions was apparently not retained by Volk's office. This file is arranged numerically by bill number.

The JOINT SURVEY COMMITTEE ON RETIREMENT SYSTEM RECORDS are divided into general records and subject files. The general files contain basic documentation about the function of the committee which was to review all proposed legislation that affected the retirement or pensions of public employees. The official records of JSCRS (minutes and reports on bills considered) are received in the Archives as Public Records and catalogued as part of Series 1940--Records of Joint Standing Committees. The official records for the period of Volk's cochairmanship, however, were not received in this manner, but instead were donated to the Archives as part of his private legislative papers. The official minutes and legislative reports from the 1985-1988 period were removed from Volk's papers for interfiling in Series 1940. Retained in his files, however, is much more detailed information about the activities of the committee than is normally received through official channels. Included here are handwritten notes on committee hearings, written testimony submitted on legislation that the committee considered, correspondence from constituents and advocacy groups, and numerous studies and detailed memoranda prepared for the committee by Blair Testin, director of the Retirement Research Committee. Testin's memoranda are of interest because of the political prominence of the public employee retirement issue during the late 1980s and because up to the time Volk's papers were received by SHSW no official records of the Retirement Research Committee had been scheduled for deposit in the Archives.

Volk's alphabetically-arranged JSCRS subject files provide a good topical overview of the committee's activities during his tenure. Especially useful are the files of constituent correspondence and memoranda on the various benefit bills considered during the period. This correspondence includes not only letters from the 36th District but also many letters from professional organizations representing teachers and public employees. Volk's files on STOP (State Taxpayers Outraged about Pensions) contains particularly useful documentation about the opponents of the early retirement proposals.

The other issue which enlivened the JCSCR deliberations during 1985-1988 period was divestment of state holdings in South Africa, and Volk's files contain similarly useful background information on this issue.

Use Restrictions

Copyright transferred to SHSW by Deed of Gift.

Acquisition Information

Presented by John Volk, Wabena, Wisconsin, 1990-1991. Accession Number: M90-362, M91-008

Processing Information

Processed by Virginia Woods (1993 intern).

Stevens Point Mss AX	Series: Biographical Material
Box   1 Folder   1-2	Biographical clippings, 1983 October-1990 October
Box   1 Folder   3	Newsletters, 1983-1989
Box   2 Folder   1	Speeches, 1983 September-1988 May
	Series: Constituent Correspondence, 1985-1990	⇧
Box   2 Folder   2-6	1985-1986 March
Box   3	1986 April-1987 March
Box   4	1987 April-September
Box   5	1987 October-1988 February
Box   6	1988 March-September
Box   7	1988 October-1989 April
Box   8	1989 May-November
Box   9	1989 December-1990
	Series: Subject and Case Files	⇧
Box   10 Folder   1	ATV trails and town roads, 1988-1989
Box   10 Folder   2	Aircraft OWI, undated
Box   10 Folder   3	Alternative education, 1986
Box   10 Folder   3a	Assessment data for Wabena and Freedom, undated
Box   10 Folder   4	Auctioneering, 1983-1985
Box   10 Folder   5	Blackwell Civilian Conservation Center, 1988-1989
Box   10 Folder   6	Boat trailer licenses, undated
Box   10 Folder   7	CESA proposal (SB 21), 1989
Box   10 Folder   8	Child custody changes (AB 221), 1987
Box   10 Folder   9	Construction liens (SB 204), 1987
Box   10 Folder   10	County assessor (Forest County), 1987
Box   10 Folder   11	DOD economic development consultant, 1989
Box   10 Folder   12	Dental hygienist bill (AB 291), 1987-1988
Box   10 Folder   12a	Double towing (AB 132), 1990
Box   10 Folder   13	Driver's license suspension, 1989
Box   10 Folder   14	Drought assistance for Florence County, 1986
Box   10 Folder   15	EMTs (AB 429), 1989
Box   10 Folder   24	Equity of teachers in state service (AB 689), 1988
Box   10 Folder   16	Forest lands payments-in-lieu-of taxes, 1983-1984
Box   10 Folder   17	Forest road aids (AB 61), 1987
Box   10 Folder   18	Florence County wastewater treatment, 1981-1987
Box   10 Folder   19	GED, 1987
Box   10 Folder   20	Gresham post office, 1988
Box   10 Folder   21	Hazardous waste transport, 1989
Box   10 Folder   22	Homestead credit, 1985-1989
Box   10 Folder   23	Income Maintenance Administration, 1986
Box   10 Folder   25	Legend Lake, 1984-1989
Box   10 Folder   26	Legislative payroll (biweekly schedule), 1989
Box   11 Folder   1	Main Street program, 1989
Box   11 Folder   2	Mediation and arbitration, (AB 918), 1987-1988
Box   11 Folder   3	Menominee treaty rights (AJR 105), 1988
Box   11 Folder   4	Mineral rights, 1986-1987
Box   11 Folder   5	Moshawquit Lake property owners, 1988-1989
Box   11 Folder   6	Natural Death Act, 1985-1988
Box   11 Folder   7	Natural Resources Tourist Information Center (Florence County), 1988
Box   11 Folder   8	Nursing home bed cap, 1984-1989
Box   11 Folder   9	Optometry, Expansions of scope (AB 161), 1988
Box   11 Folder   10	POW license plates, 1985-1987
Box   11 Folder   11	Pupil transport bill (Michigan license reciprocity (AB 209)), 1985
Box   11 Folder   12	“Right to work” law (AB 534), 1987-1988
Box   11 Folder   13	Recycling bill summary (SB 300), 1990
Box   11 Folder   14	Soft drink tax, 1988
Box   11 Folder   15	Septic tank replacement (AB 767), 1990
Box   11 Folder   15a	School District Boundaries, Special Committee on, 1989-1990
Box   11 Folder   16	Social Security, mandatory coverage of state and local employees, 1989
Box   11 Folder   17	Telephone surcharge (SB 282), 1987-1989
Box   11 Folder   18	Tilleda Dam preservation, 1988-1989
Box   11 Folder   19	Timber routes (Michigan reciprocity), 1990
Box   11 Folder   20	Timber trucks fee reduction (AB 223), 1987
Box   11 Folder   21	Unemployment Compensation for small businesses (AB 483), 1987
Box   11 Folder   22	White Potato Lake level, 1987-1988
Box   11 Folder   23	Wildlife damage (SB 542), 1990
	Series: Legislative Files, 1989-1990 Session	⇧
	Assembly bills
Box   12	AB 1-AB 410
Box   13	AB 413-AJR 124
	Senate bills
Box   14 Folder   1-6	SB 1-SJR 100
Box   14 Folder   7	Special Session bills, 1990
	Series: JSCRS Records	⇧
	General records
Box   15 Folder   1	General information
Box   15 Folder   2	JSCRS governing law, 1985
Box   15 Folder   3	Budget responsibilities, 1985-1986
Box   15 Folder   4-5	Meeting notes and agendas, 1985-1988
	Review materials
	1983
Box   15 Folder   6	Assembly bills
Box   15 Folder   7	Senate bills
	1985-1986
Box   15 Folder   8	Assembly bills
Box   15 Folder   9	Senate bills
	1987-1988
Box   15 Folder   10-11	Assembly bills
Box   15 Folder   12	Senate bills
	Subject files
Box   15 Folder   13	Actuarial report appropriation, 1987-1988
Box   15 Folder   14	Age discrimination (AB 619), 1988
	Benefit improvement bills
Box   15 Folder   15	1983-1984
	1985-1986
Box   15 Folder   16	AB 325, Constituent correspondence
Box   16 Folder   1	SB 622
Box   16 Folder   2-3	General information
	1987-1988
	AB 267 (Early retirement for public employees)
Box   16 Folder   4	General material
Box   16 Folder   5	Constituent correspondence
Box   16 Folder   6	WASDA correspondence
Box   16 Folder   7	Opposition letters
Box   16 Folder   8	Out-of-district correspondence
	AB 462 (Volk bill)
Box   16 Folder   9	General material
Box   16 Folder   10	Constituent correspondence
Box   17 Folder   1	AB 1016, Binding arbitration
Box   17 Folder   2	SB 4
Box   17 Folder   3	Benefit level of private sector, 1987
Box   17 Folder   4	Claims review, 1985-1986
Box   17 Folder   5-6	Constituent correspondence regarding retirement benefits, 1986-1988
Box   17 Folder   7	Death benefits (AB 609 and 779), 1987
Box   17 Folder   8	Deferred benefits taxation, 1988
Box   17 Folder   9	Disability annuities (AB 81), 1985
Box   17 Folder   12	District attorney restructuring bill (AB 600), 1985
Box   17 Folder   13	Divestment, Nuclear, 1985
Box   17 Folder   14-15	Divestment, South Africa
Box   18 Folder   1	Divestment, South Africa (continued)
Box   18 Folder   2	Opposition letters
Box   18 Folder   3	Domestic relations orders (AB 185), 1985-1987
Box   17 Folder   10	Duty disability bill (AB 975), 1986
Box   17 Folder   11	Duty related disability and death program, 1985-1986
Box   18 Folder   4	Executive retirement plan (AB 454), 1987
Box   18 Folder   5	Formula Adjusted Income Retirement (FAIR) Plan, 1985-1987
Box   18 Folder   6	Health insurance coverage for retirees, 1985-1986
Box   18 Folder   7	Individual income reallocation (dividend distribution), 1986-1987
Box   18 Folder   8	Investment income trusts (401(k)), 1987-1988
Box   18 Folder   9	Joint survivorship annuity option (AB 392), 1986
Box   18 Folder   10	Life insurance coverage for retirees, 1987
Box   18 Folder   11	Mandatory retirement, 1985-1987
Box   18 Folder   12	Military-Merchant Marine benefits (AB 418), 1985
Box   18 Folder   13	Military service credit, 1987-1988
Box   18 Folder   14	Money purchase option, 1987-1988
Box   18 Folder   15	Participation requirement in WRS, 1986-1987
Box   18 Folder   16	Police employment-related disease presumption (AB 210), 1985
Box   18 Folder   17	Retirement annuities recomputation, 1987
	Retirement Research Committee
Box   18 Folder   18	Miscellaneous
Box   18 Folder   19-20	Staff director (Blair Testin) memos, 1987-1988
Box   19 Folder   1	STOP (State Taxpayers Outraged About Pensions), 1987-1988
Box   19 Folder   2	Service credit for non-professionals, 1987
Box   19 Folder   3	Sick leave credit, 1985-1988
Box   19 Folder   4	Tax exempt pensions (AB 85), 1985
Box   19 Folder   5	Tax reform and employee benefits, 1984-1987
Box   19 Folder   6	Valuation of WRS proposals, 1987-1988
Box   19 Folder   7	Wisconsin Retirement System Study Committee, 1988