TABLE OF CONTENTS
RG 028:006, Committee on the Structure of State Government (Filer Committee), 1975-1977
Inventory of Records
Finding aid prepared by Conneecticut State Library staff.
Copyright © 2007 by the Connecticut State Library
Overview of the Collection |
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| Repository: | Connecticut State Library |
| Creator: | Connecticut. Committee on the Structure of State Government |
| Title: | Committee on the Structure of State Government records |
| Dates: | 1976-1977 |
| Quantity: | 15 cubic feet |
| Abstract: | The Committee studied the overall functions of state government and its agencies as well as their relationships with commissions and committees. |
| Identification: | RG028_006 |
| Accession: | 1977-001 |
| Language: | The records are in English. |
Historical Note
In November 1975, Gov. Grasso asked John H. Filer, Chairman of Aetna Life and Casualty, to serve as chairman of a committee to "study the overall functions of state government and its agencies as well as their relationships with commissions and committees." Other members, appointed early in December, were James Wade, Hartford lawyer; Ruth Sims, of the League of Women Voters; and James Fesler, Professor of Political Science at Yale. A small staff, headed by Harold Hovey, had offices in the Aetna building. The Committee was supported by private and business contributions.
The Committee, which had been requested to make its recommendations by the end of 1976, held its first meeting on December 18, 1975, and met thereafter once or twice a month. The staff first conducted a survey or "inventory" of the existing state agencies and commissions, and requested opinions and comment from their heads. Studies were made of the government structure of other states, and the reports of previous similar committees in Connecticut were examined.
A "discussion draft" incorporating the Committee's preliminary views was published in October 1976, followed by a strenuous effort to publicize it widely, to explain it to the people and the legislature, and to solicit comments and criticisms on it. Several public hearings were held.
The final report titled, "Better organization for better government," was submitted to Gov. Grasso on December 20, 1976. Its recommendations were succinctly described and the proposed new structure was outlined in some detail. In essence, it suggested the consolidation of some 210 agencies and commissions into fifteen major departments, plus an expanded Office of the Governor and a new Office of Policy and Management.
Holding the view that earlier reorganization efforts had fallen short because of failure to press hard enough for implementation, Mr. Filer and the Committee and staff members continued active efforts to sell their program to the public and the legislature. Public interest and support were stimulated through the efforts of a separate group of private and business people calling themselves Citizens for Better Government Through Reorganization. Draft legislation was prepared for the General Assembly and testimony was given before the Government Operations and Policy Committee. After a number of amendments were made, the major bill, S.S.B. 357, was passed by both houses in May and signed by the Governor on June 2, 1977 (P.A. 77-614, separately published as Vol. III of Public and Special Acts, January Session, 1977).
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Scope and Content
Includes reoprts, meeting records, inventory of state agencies and commissions, correspondence, press clippings, public ocmment, research office files, report drafts, an implementation file, hearing and conference tapes, legislation material, and reference files.
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Restrictions
Restrictions on Access
These records are stored at an off-site facility and therefore may not be available on a same-day basis.
See the Rules and Procedures for Researchers Using Archival Records and Secured Collections policy.
Restrictions on Use
See the Reproduction and Publications of State Library Collections policy.
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Related Material
RG 028:001, Commission to Investigate the Advisability of Consolidating Certain State Boards and Commissions and to Investigate the Public Health Laws, 1915.
RG 028:002, Commission on the Reorganization of State Departments, 1935-1937.
RG 028:003, Commission to study the Integration of the State Judicial System, 1943-1945.
RG 028:004, Commission on State Government Organization, 1949-1950.
RG 028:005, Commission on Services and Expenditures (Etherington Commission), 1971.
RG 028:007, Human Servuces Reorganization Commission, 1977-1979.
RG 028:008, Governor's Study Group on Limitation on Expenditures, 1978-1979.
RG 028:009, Commission to Study the Management of State Government (Thomas Commission), 1989-1991.
RG 028:010, Commission to Effect Government Reorganisation (Hull-Harper Commission), 1991-1992.
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Index Terms
Persons:
Organizations:
Subjects:
Document Types:
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Administrative Information
Provenance
The State Archives accessioned these records in June 1977.
Processing Information
These records were formerly RG 94. In 1994, State Archives staff consolidated the collection with other records of similar commissions in a new RG 28.
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Container List
| Records, 1976-1977 | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| Reports, 1976 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Published reports of the Committee. | |||||||||||
| Progress report by Chairman John Filer, 1976 June 10, 4 pages | |||||||||||
| Better organization for better government, 1976 october, 190 pages | |||||||||||
| Preliminary discussion draft. Also included are an earlier version, dated September 1976 (187 pages), and "Chapter Summaries," dated October, 1976 (16 pages). | |||||||||||
| Better organization for better government, 1976 December 20, 65 pages | |||||||||||
| Final report. | |||||||||||
| Better organization for better government: Summary, 1976 December 20, 12 pages | |||||||||||
| 2. Meeting records, 1975 December-1976 December, 10 inches | |||||||||||
| Agenda, minutes of meetings, working papers prepared for consideration, and related notes and correspondence. Also includes graphics of charts for meetings of February 19 and March 29, 1976. | |||||||||||
| Chronological. | |||||||||||
| 3. Inventory of state agencies and commissions, 1976 March-1977 April, 1 foot | 2 | ||||||||||
| Form reports, based on interviews with heads of agencies, and related notes and correspondence. The reports contain brief data on enabling citation, key staff, number of employees, budge and non-state funding sources, functions, etc. Some related material resulting from the Committee's title, followed byu a binder containing photocopies of form reports. | |||||||||||
| 4. Correspondence, 1976 March-1977 May, 1.5 inches | |||||||||||
| A small file, probably from the Research Director's desk, with letters to and from Committee members (Filer, Sims, Fesler), and staff principals (Hovey, Olsen, McLean, Nagle). | |||||||||||
| 5. Press clippings, 1976-1977, 8 inches | 3 | ||||||||||
| Clippings of press stories about the discussion draft, the final report, the reorganization bill, and public reaction to them. | |||||||||||
| Largely unarranged. | |||||||||||
| 6. Public comment, 1976, 5 inches | |||||||||||
| Letters and transcripts of hearing statements by members of the public and organization representatives concerning the Committee proposals. | |||||||||||
| Alphabetical by name. | |||||||||||
| Much similar material is in the Research office files. | |||||||||||
| 7. Research office files, 1976-1977, 3.5 feet | 4-6 | ||||||||||
| These materials came from the offices of Thomas Cosgrove, Research Director, and Eunice Groark, Assistant Research Director. They include correpondence, memoranda, notes, preliminary studies, drafts, reference materials, etc., pertaining to all aspects of the Committee's work. In the first box are some subject-labeled files, fund-raising records, and administrative materials. | |||||||||||
| Largley unarranged, unfiled, unprocessed. | |||||||||||
| 8. Report drafts, 1976, 1 foot | 7 | ||||||||||
| Original drafts, related notes, edited copy for final versions, etc. | |||||||||||
| Unarranged. | |||||||||||
| 9. Implementation file, 1976 May-1977 March, 9 inches | 8 | ||||||||||
| Correspondence, memoranda, press releases, draft testimony and other material pertaining to the effort to achieve public support and legislative action on Committee recommendations. Includes papaers of a "public relations advisory committee" and of the Citizens for Better Government. | |||||||||||
| Arranged by subject but otherwise unarranged. | |||||||||||
| 10. Hearing and conference tapes, 1976 October-1977 April, 14 cassettes, 2 tapes (3 inches) | |||||||||||
| Cassettee tapes of hearings in Fairfield, Groton, Hartford, Meriden and Torrington and tapes of the Conference on Reorganization, Hartford, April 13, 1977. | |||||||||||
| 11. Legislation material, 1976-1977, 6 feet | 9 | ||||||||||
| Publications and related materials (mostly printed) pertaining to the structure, organization an dowrk of Connecticut agencies, commissions and committees. Included are annual reports, organization charts, public relations material, etc. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by agency. | |||||||||||
| Adult probation | 10 | ||||||||||
| Agriculture | |||||||||||
| Arbitration | |||||||||||
| Arts | |||||||||||
| Auditors | |||||||||||
| Civil Air Patrol | |||||||||||
| Civil Preparedness | |||||||||||
| Commerce | |||||||||||
| Consumer protection | |||||||||||
| Correction (including Justice Academy) | |||||||||||
| Dental Commission | |||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||
| Elections Commission | 11 | ||||||||||
| Engineers and Land Surveyors Board | |||||||||||
| Environmental protection | |||||||||||
| Finance and control | |||||||||||
| Fire arms | 11 | ||||||||||
| Fire protection | 11 | ||||||||||
| Handicapped | |||||||||||
| Health | |||||||||||
| Higher Education | 11-12 | ||||||||||
| Historical Commission | 12 | ||||||||||
| Housing | |||||||||||
| Human rights | |||||||||||
| Human services | 12-13 | ||||||||||
| Intergovernmental programs | 13 | ||||||||||
| Labor | |||||||||||
| Liquor COntrol | |||||||||||
| Mental health and Mental retardation | |||||||||||
| Motor vehicles | |||||||||||
| Personnel | |||||||||||
| Pharmacy | 10 | ||||||||||
| Planning and energy policy | 13 | ||||||||||
| Public utilities | 14 | ||||||||||
| Recreation | |||||||||||
| Resources recovery | |||||||||||
| Safety | |||||||||||
| State Library | |||||||||||
| State Police | |||||||||||
| Tax | |||||||||||
| Transportation | 15 | ||||||||||
| Treasurer | |||||||||||
| Veterans' hospital | |||||||||||
| General and miscellaneous | |||||||||||