A recent article by the Sunlight Foundation evaluated all 50 states on the accessibility of their governor's executive orders. Texas earned an A, scoring high marks in categories such as machine readability, use of non-proprietary formats, availability of executive orders for current and prior administrations, and timeliness of availability (how quickly executive orders are posted after they are issued).

 

While the study focused on the executive orders available through Gov. Perry's site, it's worth noting that the library has an extensive collection of Texas executive orders, and has made them available online through our Governor Documents database. You'll find all executive orders from Gov. Rick Perry, as well as those in our collection from previous governors. Our oldest executive order dates to 1950 (Gov. Robert Allan Shivers), and concerns state disaster relief and civil defense. 

 

While you're exploring the executive orders, it might interest you to take a look at some of the other documents available in the database, including disaster declarations, 2001-present, and emergency matters submitted in past legislative sessions.