1. Last Part of Chapter 23

2. The Plural Executive Multiple independently elected positions Governor
Attorney General
Land Commissioner
Secretary of State*
(governor appoints)
Lieutenant Governor
Comptroller Public Accounts
Agriculture Commissioner
Railroad Commission (3)
Multiple independently elected positions
Do not report to governor, may be of any party
Consider the implications of having different partisans in these positions.
It is very different than the federal government (and other states) where presidents will appoint those who agree with his policy agenda.
Limitations: potential for conflict is greater due to independent elections, individual officeholder career ambitions, and potential partisan differences.
Advantages: public accountability (via elections) higher for multiple functions; potentially stronger expertise in each department/function.

3. Elected Officials in Texas with Executive Responsibilities
TABLE Elected Officials in Texas with Executive Responsibilities

4. The Plural Executive Secretary of state Chief election officer
In charge of registration
Collects election data from county judges and clerks
Maintains other state records, but largest role is with elections
Not comparable at all to U.S. secretary of state
Students may confuse the federal secretary of state with a state one, and the jobs, although they share the same name, are completely different. Elections require thousands of workers to do their jobs properly, and when things go wrong, rightly or not, the secretary of state is the person looked at to rectify the problem.

5. The Plural Executive Lieutenant governor Presides over Texas Senate
Powers in state constitution and state senate rules
Presides over Texas Senate
Performs as acting governor when governor is unable to perform duties
Chairs Legislative Budget Board
Breaks tie votes in Senate
Appoints Senate committees and chairs

6. The Plural Executive Attorney general (AG)
State’s highest civil attorney
In charge of all civil cases where state is a party in the lawsuit
When state is sued, or when state sues
Can issue opinions for agencies that have the impact and force of law
Collects child support

7. The Plural Executive Commissioner of General Land Office (GLO)
Texas owns or has mineral interests in 20.3 million acres of land, plus all underwater lands 10 miles out from the coast.
Responsible for 18,000+ producing oil wells
Responsible for awarding drilling exploration rights on state land
Protects environmental quality of state land and water

8. The Plural Executive Commissioner of agriculture
Enforces agricultural laws including quarantine laws, food inspection, disease and pest control programs, weights and measures
This position may seem tedious, but in an era of salmonella and mad cow disease, overseeing the vast agribusiness of Texas is an enormous task and a high stakes one as well, since poor prevention can lead not only to an enormous outbreak but very costly responses and a huge public relations disaster.

9. The Plural Executive Comptroller of public accounts
Invests state money
Pension funds, debt, current accounts
Oversees taxation
Collection, current totals, projections
Estimates state revenues
Influences how much legislature can budget
1. This is the kind of position that could cause tremendous conflict with a governor who has a different view or approach to these tasks.
2. This is also the kind of job that most other states would vest in the governor’s office, or one of the governor’s appointees.

10. Boards, Commissions, and Regulatory Agencies
Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC)
Six-year terms, one member elected every other year
Regulate trucking, rail freight, oil and natural gas industries
Controlled production to maintain price stability
Today, the RRC no longer regulates railroads!

11. Sunset Advisory Commission
Sunset Advisory Commission (SAC)
Evaluates utility of state agencies
Once every 12 years, each agency can be abolished unless legislature votes to renew it.
Agencies must justify their existence.
Detail how they meet legislative mandates.
58 agencies have expired under the SAC