New York State Senator James H. Donovan Hearing Files

L0013-86: Chronological by date of hearing.

L0013-97: Arranged by type of record.

State Senator James H. Donovan (R), represented the 47th Senate District comprising Herkimer and Lewis Counties and part of Oneida County. He was elected in 1965.

Donovan's major responsibility was as chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Education. In addition, Donovan was chairman of the Committee on Mental Hygiene and Addiction Control, the Select Committee on Mental and Physical Handicap, and the Special Committee on Casino Gambling.

The series contains testimony given at public hearings conducted by Senator James H. Donovan as chairman of the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Mental and Physical Handicap. The series also contains pertinent printed materials and copies of legislation.

Three groups of public hearings are represented in the records:

1) Hearings held by the Senate Education Committee, 1974-1977, on children with handicapping conditions. The testimony was given by teachers, administrators, Board of Education members, and others relating to state programs and proposed legislation in this area.

2) Hearings held by the Senate Select Committee on Mental and Physical Handicap, 1976-1977. Testimony was provided by State agency officials, directors of state and private mental health facilities, university faculty, and mental health advocates. Most of the testimony pertains to proposed mental health legislation and current activities of the Department of Mental Health, with special attention to deinstitutionalization polices. Included in the records is testimony contained on four reels of 1/4" audio tape.

3) Hearings held jointly by the Senate Standing Committee on Education and the Senate Health Committee, 1977. These hearings gathered testimony on proposed legislative changes that would allow the sale of generic drug substitutions by pharmacists, health organizations, drug manufacturers, and consumer groups pertaining to questions of product liability, cost savings, and medical benefits of generic drugs.

The records also include an undated videotape (1/2" VHS) from the New York State Petroleum Council; the subject is not indicated.

L0013-97: This accretion contains transcripts of hearings conducted by the Senate Committee on Education. Topics of the hearings include business/industry and education relationships; education and economic development; capital financing and construction of school buildings; interagency collaboration; examination and licensure of New York City teachers; services for children at risk of alcoholism or drug abuse; review of the New York State Board of Regents; children with handicapping conditions; and educational technology. A large portion of the accretion documents issues related to the elimination of the New York City Board of Examiners.

Other material contained in the accretion related to hearing topics includes correspondence and memoranda in support of or in opposition to legislation from teacher associations, boards of education, private citizens, New York State Education Department and other groups interested in education; reports on education issues; legislative bills, proposed revisions, and other related legislative material concerning education issues; and newspaper clippings.

A 1984 Gasoline Bootlegging Investigative News Report has been digitized and is available in State Archives Digital Collections.

L0224Series L0224, Education Committee files of Senator James Donovan, largely relates to his chairmanship of the Senate Education Committee.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.