Government Review #2 for Chapter 8

Elected officials

-The comptroller of public accounts -The commissioner of the General Land Office -The commissioner of agriculture -The lieutenant governor

Appointed Executives

-The secretary of state -The adjutant general -The health and human services commissioner -The insurance commissioner

Plural Executive

Is where the people elect everyone in the executive branch (In TX: people elect Gov and then the commissioners)

Terms of office of Governor

Four Years

Commissioner of the General Land Office

George P. Bush

What is the goal of the plural executive?

Since the people elected the offices, there is greater accountability for each of the officers.

Executive powers

*Appointment Power -In addition to the Secretary of State, the Governor gets to appoint the chairperson and membership of many bureaucratic boards and agencies --Also known as patronage power as the Governor rewards friends, family and allies with jobs *Removal Power -Governor can have appointed executive branch members removed from office if he shows cause and convinces two-thirds of the Senate *Budgetary Power -Submits an executive budget and has the line-item veto power over the final budget passed by the legislature *Military Power -Commander in Chief of National Guard - can declare martial law *Police Power -The Governor can assume command of the Texas Rangers when warranted

Judicial Powers

*Appointment Power -The Governor can appoint judges to fill a vacancy in the courts --Governor Rick Perry was able to strongly influence the judicial system in Texas due to the sheer number of judges he appointed *Clemency Power -Can issue pardons, grant paroles, and issue reprieves --Governor can only pardon individuals recommended to them by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Cannot choose people to pardon on his own.

The office of Governor Qualifications

*Formal Qualifications -30 yrs old -U.S. Citizen -Lived in Texas 5 years immediately before election *Unofficial Qualifications -White -Male (have had 2 female governors) -Conservative -Protestant Christian -Wealthy or able to secure financial support

Legislative Powers

*Veto Power -Legislature can override with 2/3rds vote, but this is rare -No pocket veto -Line-item veto for budget --Can cross out certain sections of the budget, which means he can basically kill programs or policies (without funding, things can't happen or get into effect) *Message Power -Can communicate with the legislature and with the people of Texas to try and influence legislation --State of the State Address is a constitutional example of this *Special Sessions Power -Legislative session called by Governor to give legislature more time to deal with uncompleted bills and issues --Can last no more than 30 days and can only cover the agenda laid out by the Governor

Secretary of State

-Appointed by the Governor -4 year term --Very few Secretaries of State serve out their entire term. Most leave after one year or more. ---Reason for this is that the Secretary of State is seen as a stepping stone to higher political office -Main Duties --****Elections - main duty ---Voter registration ----Texas has lots of problems with its voter registration list largely because of the high turnover of Secretaries ---Provides election information ---Collects election returns --Business-related ---Grants charters to Texas companies ---Issues permits to outside corporations to do business in Texas

Lieutenant Governor

-Elected -4 year term -***Most powerful official in the Texas Government. Even more powerful than the Governor --Part of the reason for this is that he is in the unique position of being part of both the legislative and executive branches. -Main Duties --Presides over the Senate ---Makes committee assignments, breaks tie votes, sets Senate calendar --Redistricting ---Part of the Legislative Redistricting Board responsible for drawing the district lines --Acting Governor when the Governor is out of the state and takes over the job of Governor if the Governor is removed from office or resigns

Comptroller of Public Accounts

-Elected -4 year term -Main Duties --Chief accounting officer and tax collector --****Provides the legislature with the Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) - used in making the budget every two years - the legislature cannot spend more money that the Comptroller says is allowed ---Gives the Comptroller the ability to influence the legislature. They can sort of blackmail them by withholding funds until they get what they want from the legislature --Finds money for government programs --Designates hundreds of financial institutions to serve as depositories for state-collected funds

Attorney General

-Elected -4 year term -Main Duties --Chief lawyer for the state in civil matters ---Decides when to sue the federal government - very common in Texas (38 times during President Obama's time in office) ----Current Governor Greg Abbott sued the Obama Administration 31 times when he was Attorney General --Issues advisory opinions on legal questions when requested by state and local authorities --More than half of the offices staff and resources goes to enforcing child-support orders

Commissioner of Agriculture

-Elected -4 year term -Main Duties --Enforces agricultural laws --In charge of weights and measures --Regulates the price of food and food quality (inspectors) --Enforces disease and pest control -Former Commission Todd Staples created a great campaign ad that sums up the job of the commissioner while also being quite funny. --In addition, it has almost all the elements necessary for a campaign ad in Texas - see if you can pick them out

Commissioner of the General Land Office

-Elected -4 year term -Main Duties --Manages publicly owned land in the state, such as state parks --Manages the Veterans Land Program --Overseas growth of the Permanent School Fund --Lately been granted increasing responsibility for environmental regulations ---Creates some conflict of interest between ensuring environmental protections and making money for the permanent school fund by granting leases for oil and gas exploration

Succession

-If the office becomes vacant (conviction, death, resignation, etc) the Lieutenant Governor becomes governor -- Most recent example in 2000. Governor George W. Bush left office to become President and Lt. Gov Rick Perry took over

Perks of the Governor Office

-Salary: $150,000 a year -Governor's Mansion -State limousine -State-owned private jet -Personal staff ---Includes chefs, housekeepers, etc. -These perks exceed more than $3 million a year

Impeachment

-The Texas Constitution is not very clear on what the grounds for impeachment are for the governor --In the end, this has meant that impeachment is quite political - as was the case in the only example of impeachment ---Impeachment is rare in Texas because we are a one-party state. The governor is usually from the same party as the majority of the legislature. So they generally agree politically and politicians are unlikely to impeach a fellow party member

How many elected offices are there in the plural executive?

6 - Lieutenant Gov, Gov, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Agriculture commissioner Commissioner of the General Land.

Pros and Cons In a Plural Executive

There are pros and cons to this system. Historically, state governors were known for abusing their power when appointing friends to political positions or handing them out as favors they would call upon later. This is why many states switched to the plural executive form of government. The president of the United States still has a cabinet of appointed officials, but most states have changed to elected officials. A major drawback to this form is that it lacks cohesion, leading to political officials chasing after many different goals. The governor has much less power to lead the group in any unified direction. Also, while voting prevents governor bias, voters do not always elect the most qualified officials. In Texas, the only executive official appointed by the governor is the Secretary of State. The other executive officials, who run on their own, are the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of the General Land Office, Commissioner of Agriculture, Elected Boards and Commissions, Railroad Commission, State Board of Education, Appointed Agency Directors and Appointed and Ex-Officio Boards and Commissions. All of these political officials must be elected on their own, and they must defend their positions on their own.