What Does the Lieutenant Governor Do?

Next to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor is second-in-command as principle officer of the state. 

In times when the Governor is incapacitated or unable to fulfill his duty, the Lieutenant Governor steps in as surrogate, assuming gubernatorial authority. In half of the states in America, including New York, these two titles are elected on the same ticket and are from the same party, though in 18 states, Governor and Lt. Governor may come from different parties. Many states also call for the Lt. Governor to serve as overseer of the State Senate. New York’s Lieutenant Governor has a $636,000 budget with which to build a better state.

Read more from the National Lieutenant Governors Association on an Lt. Governor’s everyday responsibilities:

A lieutenant governor may be derive responsibilities one of four ways: from the Constitution, from the Legislature through statute, from the governor (thru gubernatorial appointment or executive order), thru personal initiative in office, and/or a combination of these. The principal and shared constitutional responsibility of every NLGA member is to be the first official in the line of succession to the governor’s office.

Lieutenant governors are the only officials with specific duties and powers in two branches of state government: the executive and legislative branches. More than half of the NLGA members preside over their state senate. Most pursue legislative initiatives; many testify locally and in Washington D.C. in various capacities; some serve on the governors’ cabinets; and others maintain varied portfolios of duties. The office of lieutenant governor is possibly the most diverse office across state governments. The elected officials in each state and the individual officeholder have the opportunity to utilize the office to most effectively meet the states’ unique needs, priorities, and pressing issues.

In many states, the duties of lieutenant governor have been increased by legislation to include the lieutenant governor on state boards, commissions and task forces. A lieutenant governor may lead a division, commission, or department of government through gubernatorial or legislative action.

In those few states where the official next in line of succession to the governor is a secretary of state or senate president, the responsibilities are those traditionally assigned to the respective office along with the succession and acting governor provisions.

Stay up-to-date on 2018’s New York elections with Manhattan Neighborhood Network’s Race To Represent, featuring interviews and debates with candidates, and profiles on what’s happening in your district.

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