Governors are the chief executive officers of state governments in the United States and are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch). They have a variety of duties and responsibilities, including:
- Serving as the states chief executive officer and overseeing the functions of the executive branch of government.
- Reporting to the state legislature and citizens on the condition of the state each year.
- Recommending legislation to the state legislature and reviewing bills that are approved by both the state House and Senate.
- Issuing executive orders on matters important to the state.
- Serving as commander-in-chief of the states armed forces).
- Having the power to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons).
- Advancing and pursuing new and revised policies and programs using a variety of tools, among them executive orders, executive budgets, and legislative proposals and vetoes).
- Carrying out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives with the support and assistance of department and agency heads, many of whom they are empowered to appoint).
- Being charged by their state constitutions with responsibility to see that the laws are faithfully executed by the many people and organizations that comprise the executive branch).
- Delegating day-to-day administrative responsibilities to state agencies supervised by the Governor.
- Being the commanders and chief of state militias with the responsibility to protect the safety of the states’ citizens).
- Having the authority to appoint state court judges in most cases from a list of names submitted by a nominations committee.
Governors also have other duties, such as representing their states in Washington, D.C. and in meetings of national organizations such as the National Governors Association. They also use other tools such as town meetings and social media to communicate with their constituents.
