New York State Committee Reports – On the Shelf

When thinking about official reports published by state legislative committees, they evoke thoughts of small-print, all-text tomes on mundane topics such as budgets or obscure administrative regulations.

But while working on the Law Library’s Classification project, we found three annual reports from the Joint Legislative Committee on Motor Vehicles and Traffic Safety of New York.

These reports cover such topics as the committee’s history and lists of that years’ bills, resolves and legislation.

But probably most importantly, the main body of each report is comprised of chapters on current and proposed studies and recently drafted/passed legislation on topics of concern to the committee such as impaired driving, seat belts, speeding and so forth.

So they published the cover of each year’s report, as well as included illustrations, as eye-grabbing graphics which are more akin to PSAs (Public Service Announcements) than stodgy annual reports.

It was interesting, too, to see the progression of some of the topics. The 1960 report refers to various studies on seat belt safety and subsequent failed legislation from that year to make installing seat belts mandatory for all new cars sold in New York. Jump forward to 1963 where the report lauds Detroit automakers’ decisions to make them standard equipment in all new cars beginning January 1, 1964 (Note: A national law on seat belts as standard equipment went into effect in 1968, though it would not be until 1984 that New York would become the first state to make wearing seat belts mandatory. Today, all states except New Hampshire have laws mandating the use of seat belts.)

We have a few shelves of these reports from various committees on a variety topics that will eventually make their way into the Library’s catalog. I am curious to see if there will be others as unique as these.

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