The Executive Branch February 10, 2014

The Executive Branch The Executive: The largest branch Responsible for the day-to-day management of the state Made up of the governor, lieutenant governor, other elected officials, statutory officials, and boards and agencies

The Governor The governor is the chief executive officer of the state Elected by a majority of the popular vote for a 4-year term Governors can serve 2 consecutive terms, then must sit out one term if they want to run again To become governor, a person must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the U.S. for at least 15 years, and a resident of Georgia for at least 6 years

Formal Powers of the Governor The Georgia constitution describes the governor’s formal powers These can be classified as executive, legislative, and judicial powers Executive: appointing state officials and making sure laws are enforced Legislative: signing bills into law, vetoing a bill, calling special sessions of the legislature Judicial: pardon (forgive) persons convicted of crimes

Other Formal Powers of the Governor Other formal powers include: Managing the state’s budget Making an annual “State of the State” speech Serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Georgia National Guard Sending state troopers into communities in times of danger

Informal Powers of the Governor The governor also has informal powers These are not written into the constitution, but came about as a result of tradition and custom They include: Issuing proclamations to honor individuals for their achievements Working with the legislature to get laws passed Guiding state agencies

The Lieutenant Governor The Lieutenant Governor is elected by popular vote at the same time as the governor They must meet the same requirements as the governor, but they can serve an unlimited number of consecutive terms in office They are the presiding officer of the state senate The Lieutenant Governor becomes governor in the event of the death, resignation, or impeachment of the governor

Other elected members of the Executive Branch Voters also elect these people who all serve 4-year terms (these are just a few of the many): State attorney general: chief legal officer Commissioners of Agriculture, Labor, and Insurance: heads of those departments Secretary of State: maintains the state’s official records State School Superintendent: head of the Department of Education

State Agencies and Statutory Officials Statutory officials are not provided for in the constitution, nor are they elected Their jobs are called for by law and they are appointed by the governor or head of the department that they serve State agencies are created by the constitution or laws There are over 30 major agencies in our government These include the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Board of Natural Resources, and the Board of Public Safety (there are many, many more)

Questions: 1) What is the responsibility of the executive branch? 2) Which state officials are part of the executive branch? 3) How is the governor elected and for how long? 4) How many terms can a governor serve? 5) What are the qualifications to become governor in Georgia? 6) Where do the governor’s formal powers come from? 7) Describe the executive, legislative, and judicial formal powers of the governor 8) What are some other formal powers of the governor? 9) How did the governor’s informal powers come about?

More Questions: 10) What are some of the governor’s informal powers? 11) How many consecutive terms can a lieutenant governor serve? 12) What are the qualifications to be lieutenant governor in Georgia? 13) Which part of government does the lieutenant governor preside over? 14) How can the lieutenant governor become governor? 15) What are some of the other elected members of the executive branch? 16) How long are their terms of office? 17) Who is the chief legal officer of the state? 18) Who maintains the state’s official records?

More Questions: 19) How do statutory officials get their jobs? 20) How are state agencies created? 21) How many major state agencies are there in our state? 22) What are some examples of state agencies and boards in Georgia?