Search | Gerald R. Ford

White House Records Office: Legislation Case Files

Collection

The legislation case files document the central clearance procedure on legislation sent to the President for signature or veto. Thomas M. Jones, Chief of Records, maintained these files in the Records Office, one of the permanent operating offices that provided routine administrative support for the White House. Robert D. Linder, White House Chief Executive Clerk since 1971, directed the permanent operating offices. One of Linder's responsibilities was to begin the clearance procedure that provided the President with recommendations on enrolled legislation and to assure that the record of his decisions was preserved. Most enrolled bills and joint resolutions requiring the President's action passed through a standard clearance procedure in the White House. The Executive Clerk first requested the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to obtain comments and recommendations from concerned federal agencies. The OMB forwarded these written comments to the White House along with a summary of the main features of the legislation, related congressional documents, and a recommended decision. This was the "bill report" upon which other comments were based. The White House Staff Secretary circulated the bill report to appropriate White House offices for their comments, especially the staff of the Domestic Council or the National Security Council. The Staff Secretary also requested the Editorial Office to draft press statements for possible release. Finally , he submitted the complete package to the President, including the official parchment copies of the legislation. After James Canon became Executive Director of the Domestic Council in February 1975, he provided the President with a cover memorandum for each measure, further summarizing its key features and the recommended decisions. The President had three possible choices with any legislation passed during a regular session of Congress. He either signed the measure, allowed it to become law without his signature after ten days, or vetoed it by returning the legislation to Capitol Hill. Measures vetoed during the regular session could still become law if a two-thirds majority of the House and the Senate voted to override the President's decision. If he took no action on a measure passed at the end of a session of Congress, it did not become law, instead, it was "pocket vetoed",with no possibility of Congressional override. The legislation case files in the Ford Library contain material on President Ford's decisions on every public and private enrolled bill or joint resolution passed by the Congress and sent to him for action, including those he vetoed or pocket vetoed. A typical file includes: a text of the measure; House and Senate reports; the OMB bill report and federal agency recommendations; press releases; and a covering memorandum from the Domestic Council Executive Director. President Ford's decision is often indicated by his initials on OMB or Domestic Council memoranda. Many files, especially vetoed measures, contain draft statements and press releases and additional documentation of the White House clearance procedure. Case files for a few of the most controversial pieces of legislation, such as the Tax Reduction Act of 1975 and the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974, are incomplete because they did not follow the standard clearance procedure. The files are arranged in chronological order by date of action by the President and thereunder in the following order: Senate bills, Senate joint resolutions, House bills, House joint resolutions.

White House Records Office: Legislation Case Files … The legislation case files document the central clearance procedure on legislation sent to the President for signature or veto. Thomas M. Jones, Chief of Records, maintained these files in the Records Office, one of the permanent operating offices that provided routine administrative support for the White House. Robert D. Linder, White House Chief Executive Clerk since 1971, directed the permanent operating offices. One of Linder's responsibilities was …

The legislation case files document the central clearance procedure on legislation sent to the President for signature or veto. Thomas M. Jones, Chief of Records, maintained these files in the Records Office, one of the permanent operating offices that provided routine administrative support for the White House. Robert D. Linder, White House Chief Executive Clerk since 1971, directed the permanent operating offices. One of Linder's responsibilities was to begin the clearance procedure that provided the President with recommendations on enrolled legislation and to assure that the record of his decisions was preserved. Most enrolled bills and joint resolutions requiring the President's action passed through a standard clearance procedure in the White House. The Executive Clerk first requested the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to obtain comments and recommendations from concerned federal agencies. The OMB forwarded these written comments to the White House along with a summary of the main features of the legislation, related congressional documents, and a recommended decision. This was the "bill report" upon which other comments were based. The White House Staff Secretary circulated the bill report to appropriate White House offices for their comments, especially the staff of the Domestic Council or the National Security Council. The Staff Secretary also requested the Editorial Office to draft press statements for possible release. Finally , he submitted the complete package to the President, including the official parchment copies of the legislation. After James Canon became Executive Director of the Domestic Council in February 1975, he provided the President with a cover memorandum for each measure, further summarizing its key features and the recommended decisions. The President had three possible choices with any legislation passed during a regular session of Congress. He either signed the measure, allowed it to become law without his signature after ten days, or vetoed it by returning the legislation to Capitol Hill. Measures vetoed during the regular session could still become law if a two-thirds majority of the House and the Senate voted to override the President's decision. If he took no action on a measure passed at the end of a session of Congress, it did not become law, instead, it was "pocket vetoed",with no possibility of Congressional override. The legislation case files in the Ford Library contain material on President Ford's decisions on every public and private enrolled bill or joint resolution passed by the Congress and sent to him for action, including those he vetoed or pocket vetoed. A typical file includes: a text of the measure; House and Senate reports; the OMB bill report and federal agency recommendations; press releases; and a covering memorandum from the Domestic Council Executive Director. President Ford's decision is often indicated by his initials on OMB or Domestic Council memoranda. Many files, especially vetoed measures, contain draft statements and press releases and additional documentation of the White House clearance procedure. Case files for a few of the most controversial pieces of legislation, such as the Tax Reduction Act of 1975 and the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974, are incomplete because they did not follow the standard clearance procedure. The files are arranged in chronological order by date of action by the President and thereunder in the following order: Senate bills, Senate joint resolutions, House bills, House joint resolutions.

White House Central Files Subject Files (Ford Administration)

Collection

The White House Central Files (WHCF) documents all aspects of the administration of President Gerald R. Ford. The Subject File is the location for most substantive WHCF material and, through cross-references, is the path of access to material in related files. It includes: memoranda, letters, telegrams, reports, cables, publications, press releases, speeches, lists, drafts, clippings, briefing papers, schedules, invitations, courtesy messages, and public opinion mail. This material is the product of the White House, Domestic Council and National Security Council staffs. In addition to material prepared by them, it includes related communications from: officials at all levels and branches of Federal, state and local government; political advisers and organizations; spokesmen for or members of various economic, political, ethnic, religious, and professional groups; foreign officials; and, not least, the general public. Content reflects political, policy, administrative, personnel, and public relations concerns; including those domestic and foreign, significant and insignificant.

White House Central Files Subject Files (Ford Administration) … The White House Central Files (WHCF) documents all aspects of the administration of President Gerald R. Ford. The Subject File is the location for most substantive WHCF material and, through cross-references, is the path of access to material in related files. It includes: memoranda, letters, telegrams, reports, cables, publications, press releases, speeches, lists, drafts, clippings, briefing papers, schedules, invitations, courtesy messages, …

The White House Central Files (WHCF) documents all aspects of the administration of President Gerald R. Ford. The Subject File is the location for most substantive WHCF material and, through cross-references, is the path of access to material in related files. It includes: memoranda, letters, telegrams, reports, cables, publications, press releases, speeches, lists, drafts, clippings, briefing papers, schedules, invitations, courtesy messages, and public opinion mail. This material is the product of the White House, Domestic Council and National Security Council staffs. In addition to material prepared by them, it includes related communications from: officials at all levels and branches of Federal, state and local government; political advisers and organizations; spokesmen for or members of various economic, political, ethnic, religious, and professional groups; foreign officials; and, not least, the general public. Content reflects political, policy, administrative, personnel, and public relations concerns; including those domestic and foreign, significant and insignificant.