The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce the release of 100,343 emails from the administration of Governor Timothy M. Kaine (2006-2010). This latest batch comprises emails from individuals in the offices of Kaine’s Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Secretary of Finance, Secretary of Transportation, and Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. Included are the email boxes of Connie Biggs, Robert Bloxom, Richard “Ric” Brown, Craig Burns, Heidi Dix, Nicholas Donohue, Manju Ganeriwala, Alleyn Harned, Gail Jaspen, Aryana Khalid, Barbara Reese, Marilyn Tavenner, Michael Tutor, and Jody Wagner. Since January 2014, the Library has made 283,901 emails from the Kaine administration freely available online to the public.
Health and Human Resources
The Secretary of Health and Human Resources release covers a wide variety of subjects including: state agency budget reductions, implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), For Keeps (First Lady Anne Holton’s foster care initiative), State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS), Governor’s Working Group on Early Childhood Initiatives, Virginia Tech shooting, Virginia Information Technology Agency/Northrup Grumman (VITA/NG) performance issues and costs, No Wrong Door and Senior Navigator initiatives, and the restaurant smoking ban.
The archived website and Cabinet Weekly Reports of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources provide additional information on its activities.
Finance
The Secretary of Finance release documents: budget development, revenue forecasting, budget cuts, revenue stabilization fund, meetings and presentations to the Senate Finance Committee, House Appropriations Committee, and bond rating firms (Moody’s, Fitch and S&P), state employee layoffs and furloughs, implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Virginia Information Technology Agency/Northrup Grumman (VITA/NG) performance issues and costs, and transportation funding. The Secretary of Finance’s archived website and Cabinet Weekly Reports may offer additional context.
Transportation
The Secretary of Transportation release contains records related to transportation funding (including abusive driver fees), I-95/395 HOT lanes, I-495 Capital Beltway HOT lanes, Dulles Toll Road, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, and Virginia Capital Trail. Review the archived website and Cabinet Weekly Reports for additional information on the Secretary of Transportation’s activities.
Agriculture and Forestry
The Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry records document agricultural issues such as swine flu and poultry diseases, drought, and the Virginia Horse Center. The archived website and Cabinet Weekly Reports of the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry may provide more background for researchers.
The Library of Virginia’s Kaine Email Project makes the email records from the administration of Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Virginia’s 70th governor (2006–2010), accessible online. Users can search and view email records from the Governor’s Office and his cabinet secretaries; learn about other public records from the Kaine Administration; go behind the scenes to see how the Library of Virginia made the email records available; and read what others are saying about the collection. Previous posts spotlighted personal stories, technology, transportation, the state budget and the Kaine records officers. This project would not have been possible without funding provided by Congress for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
-Roger Christman, LVA Senior State Records Archivist
