Materials date from Binsfeld's time in the Michigan Senate. Documents pertaining to specific legislation appear at the beginning. Subject files follow. Arranged alphabetically. The beginning folders pertain to three legislative bills. Senate Bill 712 of 1989 concerns auto insurance reform. Senate Bill 995 of 1990 was drafted to establish distinct mental health "service districts" within Michigan. House Bill 5415 concerns the cost of propane fuel. Two folders regard Certificate of Need standards for long-term care facilities. Binsfeld wished to revise these standards. The folder consists mostly of correspondence, with correspondents including fellow legislators, Certificate of Need Commission members and state government officials. A Certificate of Need Commission membership list is also included. Binsfeld was a member of the legislative Cogeneration Study Group in 1988-89. This group studied issues relating to electric power co-generation amongst Michigan utility companies. Materials include correspondence, a mailing list, handwritten notes (some of which were taken during Cogeneration Study Group meetings) and a recorded statement to the group. Correspondents include local governments, fellow legislators and utility company representatives. Specific topics include the status and development of cogeneration projects, cogeneration agreements between companies, and energy costs and regulations. The legislative "Joint Mental Health Committee" was charged with studying Michigan's state mental health system, identifying problems with it and recommending solutions to those problems. Binsfeld introduced the resolution (Senate Concurrent Resolution 152 of 1989) calling for the committee and served on the committee itself. This folder contains correspondence, handwritten notes, a copy of Senate Concurrent Resolution 152 of 1989, meeting agendas, reports, typed speeches and press releases. Many items pertain specifically to the Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital, which closed in 1989. Correspondents include fellow legislators, mental health professionals, state agency officials and mental health activist groups such as the State Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Michigan. Binsfeld served on the Michigan Transportation Commission. Three folders of materials document her activities. The first folder concerns various construction projects. The next two pertain to the Michigan Department of Transportation's Women's Business Enterprise certification program. Certified woman-owned businesses were eligible for highway funds under Secion 106(C) of the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation and Assistance Act (This section was enacted in 1987). Binsfeld's papers document WBE-related issues and some specific certification cases. The "Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital" folder contains correspondence, notes and reports on the 1989 closing of TCRPH. Correspondents include Michigan legislators, constituents and mental health professionals.
