The Online Catalog allows searching and browsing of information about the Florida State Archives’ holdings of over 48,000 cubic feet of state and local government records and historical manuscripts. The catalog provides descriptions of over 3,400 collections and lists the contents of containers and folders in many of those collections. For assistance with accessing and using State Archives collections, call our Reference Staff at 850.245.6719 or email us at archives@dos.myflorida.com.
The Children's Initiative was a project administered by the Citizens Assistance Unit of the Executive Office of the Governor. Governor Chiles used the initiative to try to address the health, safety and educational needs of the state's children by using a government/private partnership to coordinate services and make them as efficient services possible. In 1993, Governor Chiles hired Patsy Palmer as the Children's Policy Coordinator to oversee children's issues. As policy coordinator, Palmer represented Governor Chiles on children's issues and legislation, and she ensured that the children's perspective was represented in Governor Chiles' office. A significant aspect of the Children's Initiative was the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality, a bi-partisan panel established by Public Law 99-660, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 14, 1986. Established to create a national strategic plan to reduce infant mortality and morbidity in the United States and to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women, mothers, and children, the 16-member commission was comprised of four members of Congress (House and Senate), the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Comptroller General of the United States, three representatives of state government, and seven experts in the field of maternal and child health. Lawton Chiles served as the chair of the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality, first as a Senator and then as the Governor of Florida, from 1986-1993.
The Commission received grants from various foundations, corporations and public agencies to support its projects and held press conferences and distributed news releases to announce forthcoming publications, projects and activities. The Commission held hearings and meetings to discuss its activities and draft and discuss recommendations for the Commission's projects and reports. The Commission also held two conferences on the current and potential roles that businesses can play in improving the health and well-being of mothers and children: "A Historic Day for Children" on September 19, 1988, and the "Corporate Summit for Children" on April 30, 1992. The Commission and its consortiums and projects produced 36 reports on various aspects of maternal and child health, in addition to the report mandated by Congress, "Death Before Life: The Tragedy of Infant Mortality," which was issued on August 4, 1988.
Also of particular interest to Lawton Chiles and the Children's Initiatives Workgroup were the efforts of Josephina McCarty, a private citizen from Homestead, Florida, to prohibit children from riding unrestrained in the cargo beds of pickup trucks. McCarty became concerned with children's safety issues as a result of the death of her son in a car accident in 1989. McCarty began lobbying the Governor and the Cabinet with her concerns in 1991, researching the issue extensively and supporting legislation to prohibit children from riding in the open cargo area of pickup trucks without a restraint.
Summary:
This series documents the activities of the Children's Initiative Workgroup and its connection to the operations of the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality. Children's Initiative documentation includes reports, correspondence, electronic mails, faxes, memoranda, newspaper and journal articles, legislation, policy manuals, and meeting minutes. Also of note is a file documenting the efforts of Josephina McCarty, a private citizen from Homestead, Florida, to prohibit children from riding unrestrained in the cargo beds of pickup trucks.
Documentation of the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality includes records of the establishment of the Commission; grant proposals and related documentation; news releases; press conference agendas; Commission brochures and fact sheets; briefing materials for hearings and meetings; informational mailings sent to Commissioners; several speeches, including remarks given by first Senator, then Governor, Lawton Chiles; and Commission reports. The records also document the massive effort that Governor Chiles, his staff, and public and private agencies waged with members of both the U.S. House and Senate to reauthorize the National Commission in 1993; however, the effort failed and the Commission was dissolved on December 31, 1993.
Finding Aids:
Folder listing available. 0
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
Associated Materials:
Language Notes:
Ownership/Custodial History:
Publication Note:
General Note:
Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Chiles, Lawton, 1930-1998
Florida. Governor (1991-1998 : Chiles)
Child health services Florida Child mental health Florida Child welfare Florida Children Florida. Education Florida Foster home care Florida Public health Florida
Annual reports. aat Electronic mail. aat Letters. aat Minutes. aat Newsletters. aat Press releases. aat Reports. aat
for detailed listing.