Transcript The Executive Branch of State Government

The Executive Branch of
State Government
The Governor
• The governor is
the Chief Executive
Officer of the
state.
• Our current
governor is Nathan
Deal (Rep).
The Governor’s Term
• The governor is elected by a majority of
the popular vote for a 4 year term.
• The Georgia constitution allows
governors to serve 2 consecutive terms.
• Is it possible for a person to serve as
governor for eight years?
– YES!
• After a second term, an individual must
wait four more years before being able to
run again.
Qualifications to be Governor
• At least 30 years old
• U.S. Citizen for at least
15 years
• Resident of Georgia for
at least 6 years
• Who was Georgia’s
youngest governor?
Richard B. Russell (age
33)
What happens if the governor
dies/resigns?
• The Lieutenant Governor becomes
acting governor until the next general
election for members of the General
Assembly
• If the governor AND the lieutenant
governor die/resign the Speaker of the
House becomes acting governor until
the next general election of the General
Assembly
Formal Powers of the Governor
• Formal powers are powers the
constitution gives to the governor
• They include executive, legislative
and judicial powers.
Formal Powers of the Governor
• Carries out the laws
of the state
• Appoints people to
committee and
positions
• Reviews and creates
the state budget
• Proposes new laws
• Signs bills into laws
• Vetoes laws
• Makes annual “State of the
State” address to the
legislature
• Serves as Commander-inChief of the Georgia
National Guard
• Heads the state’s civil
defense units
• Sends the Georgia Highway
Patrol and the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation in
times of danger
Informal Powers of the Governor
• Informal powers are powers that are
not written, but the governor can do.
• Some are the result of custom and
tradition
• Others are necessary to enforce the
formal powers
Informal Powers of the Governor
• Issues proclamations to •
honor individuals, holidays
or special events
•
• Appears at special events
• Participates on special
state committees
•
• Appoints individuals to
boards and executive
offices
• Communicates to the
public personal position •
on issues
Acts as honorary head of
his/her political party
Represents Georgia in
meetings with other state
and federal officials and
foreign dignitaries
Works with members of the
legislature (General
Assembly) to get laws
passed
Guides state agencies
The Lieutenant Governor
• Our current
Lieutenant
Governor is Casey
Cagle (Rep).
The Lt. Governor’s Term
• The governor is elected by a majority
of the popular vote for a 4 year term.
• Unlike the governor, the lieutenant
governor can serve an unlimited
number of consecutive terms.
• Is it possible for a person to serve as
lieutenant governor for 16 years?
Yes! Zell Miller did!
• Zell Miller was the
longest serving Lt.
Governor in Ga
history
• He served from
1975-1991
• 16 years – 4 terms!
Qualifications to be Lt. Governor
(same as governor)
• At least 30 years old
• U.S. Citizen for at least 15 years
• Resident for Georgia for at least 6
years
How are Georgia Lt. Governors different from a
candidate for vice president of the U.S.?
• They do not run on a ticket
system/running mates of governor
• They run independently
• Therefore, the state’s two highest
elected officials may be from different
political parties and view each other as
political opponents
• Has this ever happened before?
Yes!! In 2002…
• November 2002, when Republican Sonny Perdue
won election as governor and Democrat Mark
Taylor won reelection as lieutenant governor.
• Given that the lieutenant governor is in the
unique position of being a member of both the
executive and legislative branches, one who does
not have a compatible working relationship with
a governor would be well placed to impede a
governor's legislative agenda.
Role of the Lt. Governor
• Becomes acting governor if current governor
dies/resigns
• Serves as the chief executive officer when the
governor is out
• Presiding officer of the state senate
– Makes senate committee appointments
– Assigns senate bills to committees
– Recognizes members of the senate who wish to
speak
– Because of these powers, the lieutenant governor
may affect the passage or failure of some bills.
Georgia’s Other Elected Officials
This reviews the Executive Branch Chart/worksheet
• Attorney General (4 year terms)
– Chief legal officer of the state
• Commissioner of Agriculture (4 yrs)
– Directs agricultural programs, maintains
state farmers’ markets, supervises
inspections, expands market
• Commissioner of Insurance (4 yrs)
– regulates insurance carriers and issues
insurance licenses
Georgia’s Other Elected Officials
• Commissioner of Labor (4 yrs)
– Regulates the health and safety of workers, enforces labor
laws, administers unemployment insurance programs,
maintains data on labor
• Public Service Commissioners (6 yrs)
– Regulates utilities, controls rates/services of
transportation, telephone and electric companies
• Secretary of State (4 yrs)
– Keeps state’s official records, publishes laws passed by
legislature, supervises elections, appoints examining
boards
• State School Superintendant (4 yrs)
– Directs statewide educational programs, enforces
education regulations, administers education funds,
certifies and licenses teachers, approve textbooks
Appointed Official, Boards and
Commissions
• A statutory official – position is not provided for in
constitution. Their jobs are called for by a statute
(law).
• Statutory officials are NOT elected.
• They are appointed by the governor or head or
directing boards of the dept in which they serve
• In addition, there are over 30 major agencies in
our government that were created by constitution
or statute – Members are appointed
Are there more elected officials or appointed
officials in Georgia’s Executive Branch?
• Appointed!
• What does that mean about the governor’s
power/influence?
• He/She has a lot of power/influence in the
Executive Branch
• In which departments would Georgia voters
most likely be able to make a change?
• In departments with Elected Commissioners