Records of the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, 2014-2018

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888

Background

Scope and content:

The Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security records consists of 61 archival boxes and are divided into 9 series. Series have been designated for Correspondence and subject files - Assigned State Agencies, Correspondence and subject files - Office of the Secretary, Budget files, Event files, Governor's Decision Requests, Legislative files, Special Projects, Transition, and Weekly reports. These records document the activities of the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, as well as the agencies and boards which fall under its heading, during the gubernatorial term Gov. Terrence McAuliffe (2014-2018).

Biographical / historical:

In 1970, the Governor's Management Commission Study recommended the creation of six "Deputy Governors" to assist the Chief Executive in his managerial duties. Compatible functions of government were grouped under these administrative heads, who would serve as the Governor's top management team.

The office of the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was created on April 8, 1972. Originally, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety oversaw the State Highway Commission, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of State Police, Highway Safety Division, Office of Emergency Services, Department of Military Affairs, Virginia State Crime Commission, and the Law Enforcement Officers Training Standards Commission. Since that time, the Office has undergone a series of administrative reorganizations. On April 12, 1976, the Legislature established separate secretariats for transportation and public safety, effective July 1, 1976. On July 1, 1984, the offices were again combined. Finally, the two became separate offices on February 22, 1990, and have remained separate in the years since.

Governor McAuliffe signed SB 381 into law on April 4, 2014, transferring resposibility for overseeing and coordinating efforts to strengthen homeland security from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security to the Secretary of Public Safety. Secretariats were renamed Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs and Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security at that time.

The Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security is a member of the Governor's Cabinet, is appointed by the governor, and is subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Throughout Governor Terrence McAuliffe's term (2014-2018), the Secretary of Public Safety was responsible for the direction of, or had jurisdiction over, 10 state agencies and boards. The agencies and boards under the heading of the Secretary of Public Safety during the McAuliffe administration are as follows: Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Commonwealth's Attorneys' Services Council, Department of Corrections, Department of Criminal Justice Services, Department of Emergency Management, Department of Fire Programs, Department of Forensic Science, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Military Affairs, the Virginia Parole Board, and the Virginia State Police.

Brian J. Moran was appointed Secretary of Public Safety by Governor-elect Terrence McAuliffe in December 2013 and served as Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security from 2014-2018. Moran, as native of Massachusetts, graduated with B.A. in Economics from Framingham State College in 1982, and from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 1988. He served as a prosecutor in Arlington County, VA, 1989-1996, and practiced law in his own firm, 1996-2013. He also served as a Delegate in the House of Delegates, 1996-2013, and as Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman, 2010-2012.

Deputy Secretaries of Public Safety and Homeland Security during the McAuliffe Administration included Curtis Brown, Victoria Cochran, Adam Thiel, and Tonya Vincent.

Acquisition information:
Accession 52183 was transferred by the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, 12 January 2018.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into the following series:

  • Series I. Correspondence and Subject Files - Assigned State Agencies, 2014-2017;
  • Series II. Correspondence and Subject Files - Office of the Secretary, 2014-2017;
  • Series III. Budget files, 2014-2018;
  • Series IV. Event files, 2014-2018;
  • Series V. Governor's Decision Requests, 2014-2018;
  • Series VI. Legislative files, 2014-2018.
  • Series VII. Special Projects and Studies, 2014-2017.
  • Series VIII. Transition, 2013-2014.
  • Series IX. Weekly reports, 2014-2017.
  • Series X. Electronic records found within paper collection, 2013-2016.
Physical description:
21.35 cubic feet (61 boxes) and 1.89 gb.