Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Governor Lawrence Douglas Wilder. Policy Office: Decision Briefs, 1988-1991 (bulk 1990-1991). Accession 35539. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from Governor Lawrence Douglas Wilder on 31 October 1996.

Processing Information

Original folder titles have been retained.

Biographical Information

Lawrence Douglas Wilder was born in Richmond, Va., on January 17, 1931. He graduated from Virginia Union University in 1951 and afterwards was drafted into the Army, where he served in the Korean War from 1952-1953 and received a bronze star. He then attended the Howard University School of Law and graduated in 1959. Douglas Wilder was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1969 as the first African American member since Reconstruction and served in the Senate for five terms. In 1985, he was elected to the office of Lieutenant Governor as the first African American to be elected to statewide office in Virginia. L. Douglas Wilder won the election for Governor of Virginia in 1989 and served from January 13, 1990 to January 14, 1994. He was the first African American to be elected as Governor in United States.

During the Wilder Administration, the Policy Office was headed by Walter McFarlane, Executive Assistant for Policy, and four Special Assistants: Richard Taylor (Health and Human Resources, and Education), Robert Blue (Finance and Natural Resources), Jeff Nuechterlein (Economic Development and Transportation), and Lynne Porfiri (Administration and Public Safety). The Policy Office was responsible for review and coordination of all policy matters, including: review of proposed legislation from agencies and Cabinet; formulation of the Governor's legislative initiatives; tracking legislation and serving as legislative liaison; review of General Assembly approved legislation submitted to the Governor for signature, amendment or veto; review of death penalty clemency requests, as well as other pardon and restoration of rights requests; review of legal settlements and other legal matters from the Office of the Attorney General's Office; review of proposed regulations; review of all matters pertaining to the judiciary and writs of habeas corpus; review of proposed executive orders; assistance with speech writing; serving as staff for Governor's special commissions; administrative support for Governor's Fellows program; serving as special interest liaison; acting as in-house counsel; and all correspondence with policy implications or pertaining to sensitive or controversial issues requiring legal overview.

Scope and Content

The Decision Briefs are housed in 2 boxes and arranged alphabetically by folder title. The records consist of decision briefs, memorandum, requests, recommendations, background information and supporting documents including correspondence and legislative citations. The Decision Briefs provide a detailed outline of budgetary requests or discussions of monetary concerns with recommendations for considerations by the Secretary of Finance and the Secretariat of various agencies. The files were transferred from the office of Robert P. Schultze, Deputy Chief of Staff.

This series documents Governor Wilder's responses to requests from Executive Branch agencies for expenditure of funds from various sources controlled by the Governor's Office and approval of bond sales. Each Decision Brief usually includes: a description of the request including background material, discussion, and conclusions by the Policy Office; a recommendation from Karen F. Washabau, Director, Department of Planning and Budget, and concurrence from Secretary of Finance Paul W. Timmreck and the cabinet secretary overseeing requesting agency. If all concur, the Governor then signs the brief.

Notable decision briefs include: Department of Criminal Justice Services funding to address needs identified by the Virginia Drug Summit; Department of Emergency Services for emergency response costs incurred during the November 1989 Avtex plant closure in Front Royal; Department of Waste Management to cover the Kim-Stan landfill and protect water quality; Higher Education Expenditure Plans for Excess Tuition and Fees; and Department of Social Services request for a transfer from the Oil Overcharge Trust Fund to provide fuel assistance payments and weatherization services.

Decision Briefs related to bond sales include: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Virginia College Building Authority Bonds, Virginia Education Loan Authority-Student Loan Program, and Virginia Housing and Development Authority Multi-Family Bonds.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by folder title.