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What Does the Governor Do?

July 13, 2018

So far, the hottest race of New York’s 2018 election season is the gubernatorial primary match between incumbent and political legacy Andrew Cuomo, and political neophyte and lifelong New Yorker, actress Cynthia Nixon, who campaigned heavily on behalf of 2016 Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton.

Cuomo most certainly has experience on his side, but Nixon brings with her fresh and radical ideas— from abolishing ICE, repairing our desperate public transportation system, taxing the rich to protect the poor, and much more— that, at the very least, could provoke Cuomo into pursuing more progressive policies should he emerge triumphant. While these seem like big ideas to the average person, it’s easy to imagine our governors as all-powerful beings that can fix our ails if they really wanted to. What exactly do our governors do, anyway?

American governors stem from colonial times, when the 13 colonies were overseen by appointees chosen by British rule, and it was their duty to execute their power. Eventually, after the American Revolution, many of these governors were replaced or fled their posts, but the position remained as it was still believed that leadership was still necessary. As the country expanded, governors were no longer appointed by President, but through democratic elections.

Today, though responsibilities vary between each state, governors are chiefly responsible for the creation, execution and enforcement of laws and budgets, in addition to overseeing state military and naval forces.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

  • Convening the Senate or the entire legislature for extraordinary session
  • Giving periodic addresses to the legislature on the state of the state
  • Granting reprieves, pardons, and commutations for all offenses except treason and impeachment
  • Vetoing bills, including appropriations, subject to a super majority override of the legislature

In addition, the governor may be relied upon for:

  • Convening special sessions of the Legislature for specific purposes.
  • Delivering a report on the condition of the state to the Legislature at the beginning of each regular session and a report on the condition of the budget.
  • Ensuring safety during natural disasters, and serves as spokesperson in the event of a crisis.
  • Recommending the General Bill to appropriate each year’s funding, which the Legislature then amends.
  • Granting reprieves and commutations of punishment and pardons upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and revoking conditional pardons.
  • Declaring special elections to fill vacancies in certain elected offices.

 

A governor has a high-profile position in state government, but at the end of the day, he or she can't accomplish much without a staff working to push the governor's policies and make constituents' lives better.

With the lieutenant governor as the governor’s right hand, the governor’s office is comprised of interns, attorneys, analysts, finance and policy experts. Ultimately, the governor’s responsibility is to ensure the social and economic well-being of the state and its constituents.

 

Sources:

 

http://sd.gov/governor/governor/duties.aspx

 

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