Access to these records is restricted until January 1, 2003 according to the request of Speaker Gibson Lewis. During this time period any formal open records request will be considered under the Texas Public Information Act.
After January 1, 2003, because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under the Public Information Act exceptions including violations of the privacy of individuals, these records must be reviewed by an archivist before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail, fax, or email including enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information requested. If our review reveals records covered by exceptions to the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an Open Records Opinion from the Attorney General before the files can be provided to the researcher. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten business days after receiving the written request to make this determination.
Where necessary, records will be redacted or restricted to comply with the Public Information Act and the Attorney General's decision.
Records of Gibson (Gib) D. Lewis, Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Texas Legislature. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
The House of Representatives, when it first assembles, organizes temporarily and elects a Speaker from its own members. The Speaker presides over the House of Representatives, makes committee appointments, and signs all bills and joint resolutions passed by the House of Representatives. The Speaker is also a member of the Legislative Redistricting Board of Texas. At the Legislature's first regular session after the publication of each United States Census, it is the duty of this board to apportion the state into senatorial and representative districts. Election returns of executive officers are given to the Speaker by the Secretary of State. During the first week of the session of the Legislature, the Speaker opens and publishes election results in the presence of both Houses of the Legislature.
Gibson (Gib) D. Lewis served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives for ten years, from 1983-1992. Gib Lewis was born on August 22, 1936 and is a native of Oletha in Limestone County, Texas. Lewis attended Texas Christian University and received a BA from Sam Houston State Teachers College. Lewis joined the Air Force after graduation. After his time in the service, Lewis settled in Fort Worth and started his company, Lewis Label Products Inc. In the 1960s, Lewis joined the Junior Chamber of Commerce and in 1969 he won election to the River Oaks City Council.
Gib Lewis served in the Texas House of Representatives from the 62nd through the 72nd Legislatures. He began his career in the Legislature in 1971 when he won election as a Democrat to the House of Representatives. In 1973, during his second term, he was appointed chairman of the Natural Resources Committee and in 1977, he was appointed chairman of the House Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. He rose quickly through the ranks and was elected Speaker of the House in 1983. During his tenure, Lewis made the Speaker's position much more powerful by pushing for a grant of authority from his colleagues that allowed him as Speaker to ignore seniority in selecting members of committees. Accomplishments highlighting his career as Speaker include school funding increases, public school reform mandating small classes and instituting a no pass/no play requirement, an indigent health care system, new insurance regulation, an overhaul of workers' compensation, changes in the criminal justice system, a state lottery, pari-mutuel racing, and a state-wide water plan. He served a total of twenty years as a legislator including five terms as Speaker of the House. In January of 1991, Lewis was re-elected Speaker for a record fifth term, but immediately announced that he would not seek re-election to another term in the House. After leaving office, Lewis continued his package-labeling business in Fort Worth and also became a lobbyist for the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Types of records present include correspondence, telegrams, mail log summaries, phone logs, newspaper clippings, press releases, photographs, reports, newsletters, publications, studies, surveys, transcripts of speeches, invitations, videocassettes, and audiocassettes. Records range in date from 1971 to 1992 and serve to document Gibson (Gib) D. Lewis' term of service in the Texas House of Representatives. Correspondents include other legislators, state and federal officials, and private citizens. Topics addressed in the records largely concern pending legislation, issues of concern to individual constituents, and committee appointments and work.
Filing systems used to organize the Speaker's records appear to have varied over time. Files appear at times to be roughly arranged by legislature, at other times by topic or by last name of correspondent and, occasionally, in no apparent order. Researchers need to be aware of the fact that folders are sometimes labelled incorrectly as to contents or dates. In some instances, folders are labelled but empty. Records remain in order as received. (Processing notes are available to researchers on request.)
These records are organized into six series.
The terms listed here were used to catalog the records. The terms can be used to find similar or related records.
Lias M. Hendricks, May 1996
Accession numbers: 1993/111, 1993/131, 1994/032
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Legislature on January 5, 1993; March 9, 1993; and November 9, 1993.
Types of records present include correspondence, letters, telegrams, memoranda, and postcards. Also present are some petitions, press releases, resolutions, visitors' registers, mail log summaries, phone logs, and publications. Records range in date from 1971 to 1992 (62nd through 72nd Legislatures) and are the correspondence files of Gib Lewis during his terms as state representative and later as Speaker of the House. Correspondents include other legislators, state and federal officials, and private citizens. Topics addressed in the correspondence largely concern pending legislation and include committee appointments, tort reform, taxes, ethics, workers' compensation insurance, school reform, educational funding, AIDS research and education funding, Medicaid and Medicare funding, pari-mutuel racing, the state lottery, seat belts, motorcycle helmet laws, pornography, abortion, child abuse, pesticide regulation, and work done on the extension of the capitol, as well as various issues of concern to individual constituents. Correspondence also includes letters of recommendation, commendation, congratulations, invitations and thanks addressed to or on behalf of constituents. Mail log summaries are generally organized by month, then alphabetically by name of correspondent. Briefly, the topic of the letter is given as well as the nature of the reply sent from the Speaker's office. Phone logs are spiral-bound notebooks containing phone messages to the Speaker and his staff members.
Correspondence is arranged in a variety of ways. Some appears to be arranged roughly by legislative session, other portions of correspondence appear to be arranged alphabetically by the last name of the correspondent or by topic. Records are in order as received.
Types of records present include surveys, correspondence, studies, newspaper clippings, resolutions, proclamations, newsletters, press releases, and photographs ranging in date from 1985 to 1992. Records are files labelled "District Casework" by the Speaker's office and relate to issues of particular interest in Representative Lewis' district. Topics addressed in the files include environmental issues, child support and child custody cases, road or highway extensions, and correctional facilities. Opinion survey forms were sent to constituents in an effort to gauge public opinion on current issues. Some letters from the Speaker are of thanks, commendation, or sympathy. Resolutions and proclamations can be to honor special occasions such as individual birthdays or wedding anniversaries.
Records are in order as received. Records are sometimes arranged roughly by subject.
Records present include bill files, reports, surveys, correspondence, questionnaires, speeches, newsletters, news releases, and photographs. Records date from 1971 to 1992 and are research files of Representative Lewis. Bill files can contain copies of pending legislation, subcommittee reports, fiscal notes, bill analyses, correspondence, and newspaper clippings. Opinion survey forms were sent to constituents in an effort to gauge public opinion on current issues such as the legal drinking age, bilingual education, and college tuition increases. Included also are letters of appointment to committees and interim charges to committees regarding issues that deserve review and examination prior to the convening to the next legislature.
Records are in order as received.
Types of records present are publications, reports, directories, guidelines, handbooks, and a videocassette. Records date from 1989 to 1992. The majority of these records appear to be on health-related topics such as community care for the chronically ill, Planned Parenthood, HIV/AIDS education, medical fees, and long term care for the elderly.
Records are in order as received.
Records consist of press releases, newspaper clippings, speeches, Open Records requests, and media identification pass applications. Records range in date from 1983 to 1992. Press clippings are from newspapers statewide and generally relate to pending legislation such as pari-mutuel racing, sales and gasoline tax hikes, the state lottery, and legislative budget negotiations. Press clippings contain many duplicates of the same news stories printed in different newspapers across the state. Press releases and statements served, for example, to announce committee appointments or to clarify the Speaker's position on various issues. Open records requests often relate to financial disclosures of state officials. Researchers please note that some press releases and newspaper clippings may be found in other series in this collection.
Records are in order as received. Arrangement of the records varies. The majority of the press clippings are bundled in large envelopes, though some have been photocopied and glued to manila paper or clipped in folders. Some records in this series are foldered and arranged by topic.
Records consist of color and black and white photographs ranging in date from 1983 to 1990. Photographs document various events involving the Speaker of the House including regular and special sessions of the 68th through 72nd Legislatures. Photographs also document receptions, Christmas festivities, and such events as "Doctor-of-the-Day" or "Pastor-of-the-Day." Many of the photographs are of constituents and other individuals posing next to the Speaker. Some photographs are identified by event but not by individual. Researchers please note that some photographs can be found scattered in other series in these records.
Overall arrangement of the photographs is by legislative session. Records are in order as received.