Janis L. Ramquist Papers, 1970-2006, PC.1887

Scope and Contents note:

This series of papers reflects Ms. Ramquist's interests as a member of, and employee for a number of organizations between 1979 and 2001. The personal papers include biographical information and personal correspondence to and from Ms. Ramquist, such as thank you letters and employment applications. The political papers include newsletters, reports, mailings, lists, political advertisements, a proposal for campaign strategies, correspondence on Democratic candidates, and additional thank you letters. The Personal and Political papers are arranged chronologically.

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This series consist of materials that pertain to several organizations for which Ms. Ramquist served in the capacity of governmental affairs consultant. Ms. Ramquist was consultant for The American Association of Publishers. Files on this association include papers that pertain to North Carolina textbook amendment laws (HB.573), which required the legislature to broaden the definition of a textbook, and correspondence regarding textbook study recommendations and legislative changes. In 1988 Ms. Ramquist wrote to the American Association of Interior Designers requesting to represent this association because she wanted to establish licensing procedures for decorators in North Carolina. Whether Ms. Ramquist worked for this organization is not known, based on the scant information present. There is not much correspondence and only some papers on the following organizations: Educare, the Esparto Teacher's Conference, California, and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

Although there is little information in the files pertaining to the Florence Crittenton Services, Ms. Ramquist did highly productive work for this organization, which resulted in major changes. She successfully lobbied for an appropriation of between one and three million dollars, said to be the largest appropriation made up to that time (1987) by the General Assembly to a non-profit human service organization. The organization used this money to build a home for unwed mothers. There is some correspondence regarding the Home Builders Association that Ms. Ramquist worked for, along with state senator Wilma Cummings Woodard. Another major organization that Ms. Ramquist worked for is the Learning Disabilities Association of N.C. Ms. Ramquist was the outreach coordinator for this group. Materials in these files include correspondence and papers that pertain to teacher training, advocacy, school reform legislation, budgeting, testing programs, legislative summaries, learning disabilities fact papers, and newspaper clippings.

Ms. Ramquist was a governmental affairs consultant for the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers between 1985 and 1986. She served as a liaison between the academy and various interest groups and as a spokeswoman for media interviews, and wrote articles for Trial Briefs. She worked towards halting tort reform legislation that the insurance industry and Medical Society advocated in the General Assembly. She accomplished this goal: the General Assembly passed insurance reform laws instead of tort reform laws. The papers regarding her activities with this organization include correspondence, staff reports, agendas, legislative reports, newsletters, a listing and description of various bills, newspaper articles, and cartoons.

There are legislative reports and information concerning bills, such as (SB.22) and (SB.516), which affect use of technology in the N.C. Association for Educational Communications and Technology for whom Ms. Ramquist achieved funding. There are also papers regarding the N.C. Association for Home Care, an organization dedicated to ensuring quality standards of home health care, for whom she served as consultant to their lobbyist.

Ms. Ramquist lobbied for and served as the Executive Director of the N.C. Counseling Association between 1990 and 1994. There are extensive materials in the collection concerning this organization, including correspondence, directories, legislation, including (HB.628), a bill concerning students' work hours, and (HB218), an act providing regulation of and licensure for counseling, and a newsletter, "Capital Connection." Ms. Ramquist worked effectively for this group: she obtained three million dollars for instructional support personnel by reinstating seventy-eight BEP positions, drafted the amendment (HB.628) that required a school counselor to notify students' employers if their grades fell below a "C" average, and advocated for a state testing program.

Ms. Ramquist also lobbied for the N.C. School Food Services Association between 1986 and 1987 along with Ms. Woodard. There is information regarding state funding for salaries, fund raising, legislative priorities, job descriptions, and proposals. The papers include a file relating to licensure efforts for the N.C. Society for Respiratory Care in 1995 and 1996. There is correspondence on (HB.1010), the respiratory care act, as well as an audiotape cassette of a radio interview. The Tobacco Institute file includes statewide reports on smoking bans and other correspondence. Ms. Ramquist worked part-time for this organization in 1990 and successfully convinced the Wake County commissioners to allow restaurants to post smoking policy and whether the restaurant was totally non-smoking or had a smoking section. What little correspondence there is on the World Trade Center (RTP) file consists of correspondence from Ms. Ramquist requesting to work on the World Trade Center Project. It is not known from this information whether or not she did indeed work on this project. The Zebulon D. Alley, P.A. file contains information on Ms. Ramquist's public relations efforts on behalf of this organization in 1988.

The Client Files are subdivided into Reference and Working Files, and are arranged alphabetically by subject.

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Ms. Ramquist worked as lobbyist for the N.C. Acupuncture Association. Her files contain numerous newspaper, journal, and magazine articles on this ancient Chinese method of inserting fine needles at specific points in the body to ease pain and to maintain health. Her files also include materials relating to M. Cissy Majembe, whom the Board of Medical Examiners (BME) investigated, and accused of practicing medicine without a license in 1990. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation raided her office and seized her medical records on June 5, 1990. Two weeks later a superior court judge dismissed the charges brought against Ms. Majembe and ordered the S.B.I. to return her records.

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North Carolinians for Health Care Access (CHCA). (eight SEVEN? fibredex boxes). This series reflects Mrs. Ramquist's efforts as a governmental affairs consultant for North Carolinians for Health Care Access, an organization that advocates North Carolinians' right to receive alternative medical treatment. Ms. Ramquist worked for this organization between 1991 and 1996, but also gathered reference information that predates 1991, which is housed in this collection. The series is divided into two subseries, Reference Files and Working Files, and are arranged alphabetically by subject. Reference files that relate to alternative medicine and healthcare are placed ahead of the other more specific CHCA Reference Files.

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The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan group dedicated to fostering education in citizenship and supporting legislation believe to be of paramount importance in the public interest. Ms. Ramquist served as the Women's Issues Chair for the League of Women's Voters. She facilitated the development of legislative proposals, interpreted policies and analyzed congressional bills in order to determine the League's position on the legislation. Ms. Ramquist served as the liaison between the League and special interest groups. She both wrote and edited background papers for use in the Legislature, and wrote articles for N.C. Insight and N.C. Voter. In addition, Ms. Ramquist served as the media spokesperson and wrote press releases for the League. This series of her papers includes information on Ms. Ramquist's work as League lobbyist and development consultant from 1981 to 1992. During this period, she was also an active member of the League. The series is divided into two subseries: Working Files and Reference Files.

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This series consists of materials related to the attempt to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in North Carolina in the 1980s. Ms. Ramquist was the League of Women Voters of North Carolina ERA Chair, and led the League's attempts to get the ERA passed. The series is divided into two subseries: Working Files and General Files.

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Ms. Ramquist began work for the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NCANA) in 1994. In 1993, the North Carolina Board of Nursing adopted rules regarding nurse anesthesia practice, which allowed nurses who met training requirements to administer anesthesia "in collaboration with a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or other lawfully qualified health care provider." (Administration Rule 21 NCAC 36.0226 - Nurse Anesthesia Practice) Representatives for the North Carolina Society for Anesthesiologists warned and later sued the NC Board of Nursing for exceeding General Statute law 90-171.20, saying "supervision" by an anesthesiologist was required. The NC Board of Nursing rules were permanently adopted December 1, 1994. Ms. Ramquist lobbied for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in any health care legislation to make sure the language did not limit CRNAs' jobs. Specifically, she made sure new legislation was not written requiring CRNAs be supervised specifically by an anesthesiologist. She also advocated for direct reimbursement to CRNAs from Medicaid and insurance companies. She sent her clients updates on her and/or a bill's progress, and guided them on how to lobby, get in touch with a representative, and matched CRNAs with their respective representative or senator.

Papers in this series [of subject files] include reports/updates, research on nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologists, their education and qualifications, and deaths involving anesthesia, correspondence, newspaper articles and editorials, courts cases, Medicaid & Medicare, various bills and laws, hospitals and their staff of CRNAs and/or anesthesiologists, material from the opposition, and information on nurse anesthetists in other states. Files are arranged alphabetically by subject.

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Ms. Ramquist began work for the NCDHA in January 1997. She lobbied for HB 564 Supervising Dental Hygienists which allowed dental hygienists to work under direct or general supervision and let dentists decide whether to supervise a maximum of three dental hygienists in their private office, versus two. The bill also allowed for a waver of the maximum number of dental hygienists allowed to work in nursing homes while under the supervision of a dentist. Other issues she kept track of involved the education and training of dental hygienists. Companion bills SB861 and HB974 allowed licensure by credentials, not examination, for out-of-state dentists and dental hygienists moving to North Carolina. However, an amendment was attached, effectively lowering the standards of education required for a dental hygienist and the bills were defeated. Other issues Ms. Ramquist followed involved the lack of dentists taking Medicaid patients, preceptorship (on-the-job training by dentists to become a dental hygienist versus graduating from an accredited program), the Caring Dentist Program which would have required dental hygienist pay a $15 fee in addition to the annual license renewal fee, and more representation of dental hygienists on the state Dental Board. She also sent her clients updates on her and/or a bill's progress, guided them on how to lobby and get in touch with their representative. She helped members of the Dental Task Force in their study to improve dental care access.

Papers in this series include reports/updates, research on dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dentists, their education, qualifications, and ratio, correspondence, newspaper articles and editorials, letters of support from dental hygienists, dentists, and other groups such as nursing homes, material from the opposition, various bills and laws, court cases, and information on dental hygienists in other states. Files are arranged alphabetically by subject.

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Ms. Ramquist worked for the NCSOS in 1989. When an optometrist tried to add himself to a patient's PCP HMO network, he encountered years of problems. This encounter raised several issues with managed care, including provider discrimination, patient access, timely disclosure of providers, and termination without cause. Over two years, Ms. Ramquist lobbied successfully for non-discrimination, the ability of optometrists and ophthalmologists to form professional corporations, and an increase in the scope of practice of optometrists.

This series contains the anecdote of the optometrist, booklets on managed care, material from meetings of optometrists and ophthalmologists on managed care and eye care access, information on other states, and reports by Ms. Ramquist regarding various bills. Files are arranged alphabetically by subject.

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Additions to the Ramquist papers, 2003-2006, include her working files, study files, reference files, and miscellaenous material for the following organizations for which Ms. Ramquist worked as a lobbyist, or was otherwise affiliated: the North Carolina Public Transportation Association; the North Carolina Society of Accountants; the North Carolina Association of Teacher Assistants, and the Friends of Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, N.C., the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians; the North Carolina Integrative Medical Society; and the North Carolina [State] Optometric Society