Scope and Contents of the Records

Executive Office staff provided support services to Governor Rick Perry as he carried out his duties as governor. Records are paper and electronic, including budgets, calendars, CD-ROMs, clippings, computer disks, correspondence, executive orders, flyers, legislative records, lists, logos, memoranda, notes, photographs, plans, presentation materials, press releases, proclamations, publications, reports, databases and speeches. Dates range from 1991 to 2015 and undated with the bulk of records dating from 2000 to 2014. Senior Advisor Mike Morrissey’s subject files include plans, reports, budgets, presentations materials, speeches, notes, correspondence, clippings, publications, memoranda and related attachments, dated 1994-2013, bulk 2001-2011. Prominent topics of the records are school finance, tax reform, legislative bills, health services and government policies. Individuals mentioned include former State Representatives Colin Coe and Vilma Luna, Texas State Demographer Lloyd Potter, and Grover Norquist (founder of the organization Americans for Tax Reform), among others.

Most of Executive Clerk Greg Davidson’s bill files are Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) bill files and related legislative records concerning proposed legislation that required TCEQ review under a Texas constitutional amendment in paper format. The records are dated 2001-2015, bulk 2001-2011. Other files included in the records of Greg Davidson are lists of awards given by Governor Dolph Briscoe; Governor Perry messages, executive orders and proclamations (some of which are duplicated in the bill files); files pertaining to events causing the flags in the Capitol Complex in be lowered; and budget execution proposals for the year 2014 in electronic format.

The records in the remaining series are electronic. The exent of the electronic records is provided in provided by the file size, and the number of files and folders. Electronic records described in this finding aid that are part of the Texas Digital Archive are indicated as such in the inventory. Restrictions on access to the content of records are applicable to paper and electronic records.

Deputy Chief of Staff Kathy Walt’s files contain a PIR (Public Information Act request) log, memoranda, correspondence, weekly reports and related records, dated 2005-2012 with topics such as hurricane response efforts, various Border Governors Conferences and the Governor Competitive Council. Senior Special Projects Advisor Cecile Young’s files consist of a publication, plan, memorandum and related records (dated 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2008), discussing disaster response, physical fitness and children’s health insurance. Subject files (dated 2001-2004) are records maintained by staff members in the Executive Division of the Governor’s Office during the tenure of Rick Perry. The files contain correspondence, photographs, press releases, flyers and related records. Creators include Governor’s Office staff members and non-staff members. The primary record types are various awards lists, contact lists and invitations and subjects include the Texas Round-up, physical fitness, the Texas Center in the Bon Sauveur Hospital in Caen, France and budget files. The Images series is composed of digital images of photographs and logos, dated 2001 and 2003-2004. Finally, Executive staff calendars are calendars of various staff members of Governor Perry’s Executive Office, including but not limited to chiefs of staff Ann Bishop, Brandy Marty and Jeff Boyd and deputy chiefs of staff Kris Heckmann, MacGregor Stephenson and Ray Sullivan. Records are dated 2009-2015.

Formats of the original electronic files include word processing or plain text files (.doc and txt.), databases (.mbd), spreadsheets (.xls), graphic images (.jpg, .ai, .gif, .tif,.eps and .bmp), emails, PDFs, PowerPoints, web-ready images (.htm) and calendars (.pst).

To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.