The James B. Brennan papers consist of the correspondence Brennan received as a state senator and his responses. The correspondence is arranged as Brennan filed it, first by year and thereunder by name of correspondent.
The correspondence covers a wide variety of issues before the State Legislature but is more extensive for some controversial bills. In the area of law and court reform a bill to change the family law code (Senate Bill 151) received many favorable letters as did measures to raise the beer drinking age to twenty-one (SB 235) and to increase penalties for sales of marijuana (SB 382). Brennan received mostly favorable letters on several bills relating to mental health (SB 1-3), including some to create a Governor's Council on Alcoholism (SB 430). Bills affecting firemen, optometrists, and chiropractors (SB 846, 847, 133, 353, and 243) generated considerable correspondence from affected individuals and associations representing their interests. Reaction was more evenly mixed to bills permitting farmers to draw irrigation water from streams (SB 176) and regulating billboards (SB 684, 685). The correspondence also reflects divergent, sometimes bitterly opposing, views on labor-management matters. These include proposed changes in minimum wage laws (SB 173), full crew legislation (SB 164, 278), and changes in collective bargaining and union shop provisions in state law (SB 576). Business and labor also split over the merits of withholding taxes (SB 550). Most correspondence opposed increases in mill rate limits (SB 77).
