This series contains a comprehensive collection of the bills submitted to Nelson A. Rockefeller for approval during his tenure as Governor of New York, an office he held from 1959 to 1973. As the chief executive of the state, Rockefeller signed all bills into law or vetoed them. Each bill that was submitted to Rockefeller for his signature was accompanied by a memorandum from the Counsel to the Governor. These memoranda stated the subject and purpose of the bill, including the original sponsor of the bill; brief comments offering background on the legislation; and the recommendation of the Counsel. The Counsel would usually conclude the memo with a recommendation of "Approval" or "Disapproval." In either case, the legislation may also have been signed or vetoed with an accompanying memorandum from Rockefeller.

The primary responsibility of Counsel to the Governor was to translate the Governor's programs into law. The counsel's staff ensured that bills were correctly drafted, and helped to stop bills that were antithetical to the Governor's programs from being enacted. Bills in the Governor's annual legislative program were drafted by the Counsel's Office to ensure that they reflected the Governor's views. Drafting work was divided among assistant counsels, roughly according to subject matter. The Counsel's staff also reviewed bills drafted by other agencies. Governor Rockefeller was not directly involved in this work, concentrating instead on broad policy matters. During Governor Rockefeller's administrations, the Counsel was one of three people, along with the Secretary to the Governor and the Budget Director, on whom he relied most heavily for administration and program development.