Why is the office of the Lieutenant Governor considered by some to be the most powerful office in Texas state government quizlet?

The framers of the U.S. Constitution had a shared goal: create a government with a set system of checks and balances. This way, no single political party, office, individual, or group could hold all the power at the federal, state, or local level. To ensure this balance, they created three separate branches of government:

  • Legislative – Creates laws
  • Executive – Implements and enforces laws
  • Judicial – Assesses and interprets laws

These three branches exist at every level of our country’s government — federal, state and local. Here’s a quick overview of how it works in Georgia’s state government.

Legislative

The Georgia General Assembly is made up of the Georgia Senate and the Georgia House of Representatives. It is in charge of creating, debating and determining the laws that guide our state. The Georgia General Assembly also has the power to:

  • Determine the state’s operating budget.
  • Consider proposed amendments to the Georgia Constitution. If both chambers pass  a proposal with two-thirds of members giving it a “yea” (yes) vote, the question will be put to Georgia voters in an upcoming election.
  • Establish legislative districts. Every 10 years, the General Assembly uses population data from the U.S. Census to draw district boundaries for the state House, state Senate, and U.S. House.

At the local level, legislative decisions are handled by your city council, county board of commissioners, board of supervisors, and board of trustees.

To learn more about the Legislative Branch, read Article 3 of the State of Georgia Constitution.

Executive

Georgia’s main executive official and head of state is the governor. Elected to a 4-year term by Georgia voters, the governor isn’t allowed to hold office more than 2 consecutive terms. Along with overseeing the state budget and leading an executive branch of more than 100,000 employees, the governor is in charge of:

  • Enforcing laws and maintaining peace
  • Leading our state’s National Guard and police forces as commander in chief
  • Vetoing, approving, or taking no action on legislation passed by the Georgia General Assembly
  • Filling unexpected vacancies in the Senate, House of Representatives, and other public offices
  • Convening special sessions of the Georgia Assembly
  • Nominating officials to positions in state government (these must be approved by the Georgia General Assembly)

The other elected members of the executive branch include: 

  • Lieutenant governor 
  • Secretary of state 
  • Attorney general
  • State school superintendent
  • The commissioners of agriculture, insurance, and labor

This is only an overview of the different roles and services managed by the executive branch, which also includes various agencies, boards, and commissions.

To learn more about the Executive Branch, read Article 5 of the State of Georgia Constitution.

Judicial

Georgia’s judicial branch interprets our state laws and administers justice through our legal system. Our judicial system has two appellate-level courts: the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Court of Appeals of Georgia. It also has five classes of trial-level courts: the superior, state, probate, juvenile, and magistrate courts.

Georgia’s Judicial System is overseen by the Judicial Council. Its job is to develop policies for administering and improving our state courts. The Council is staffed by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and is led by the chief justice (chairperson) and the presiding justice (vice chairperson) of our state’s Supreme Court. 

To learn more about the Executive Branch, read Article 6 of the State of Georgia Constitution.

Published October 16, 2014 at 4:44 PM CDT

Early voting starts Monday for the November 4th election. And to help you head to the polls with as much information as possible, KUT's Nathan Bernier and political reporter Ben Philpott have been giving you a rundown of some of the state's key races, along with telling you just what the offices in question actually do.

Today, they talk about the office that some people say is the most powerful one in the state of Texas: the lieutenant governor.

Ben: So here's what a lieutenant governor can do, and why those powers are considered so important. First up, the lieutenant governor gets to be governor if the governor dies and even if the governor just leaves the state for a few days.

The Texas Constitution says you can't be the governor of Texas when you're not physically in the state. So when Governor Rick Perry was on the road hitting several national news programs last week, current Lt. Governor David Dewhurst was acting governor. So that's nice, but according to the LBJ School's Sherri Greenberg, it's not where the power of the office lies.

"The lieutenant governor appoints all the committee chairs of the committees in the Senate, determines where the bills are going to be sent and to what committees and the timing. And so this is extremely powerful," Greenberg said.

So that doesn't really appear so powerful at first glance, but remember every bill has to come through a Senate Committee before it gets a final vote. Getting passed by the Senate is tough enough. But it's impossible if your bill never gets out of committee. Which makes the Lt. Governor's power to pick where to send a bill very important.

"Well, he can always send it over here you know to [the] State Affairs [committee] where he's stacked it with his friends, instead of over to say, [the] Health and Human Services [committee], where maybe he doesn't have as many friends," says former UT School of Law Legislative Lawyering Clinic director Hugh Brady said.

The lieutenant governor still has power over a bill even if it makes it out of committee. They decide when a bill comes up for a vote, and when to recognize a senator for any floor action.

So, lots of power. But, power that isn't dictated by the Texas Constitution or even state law. And can be taken away easily by state senators.

"If the members were to choose to make them less powerful, they could do so," the LBJ School's Greenberg says.

Almost all the lieutenant governor's powers derive from the rules passed by the Senate at the beginning of each legislative session. So, each session starts with a decision by senators…how strong do we want our leader to be?

Nathan: And I guess that question won't really be answered until voters decide who's going to be in that chair in the Senate. Ben, tell us a little about the candidates.

Ben: Well, the top two are Republican State Senator Dan Patrick and Democratic State Senator Leticia van de Putte.

Let's start with the Republican. Patrick defeated current Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and others in a crowded GOP primary field. His top priority, according to most of his campaign ads: securing the Texas border with Mexico.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfZ9eDA2daQ

Nathan: Tough talk from Patrick, but hasn't his border rhetoric gotten some negative publicity, too?

Ben: Yes, during the GOP primary a few prominent Hispanic Republicans and business leaders came out either against Patrick, or at the least, concerned that his campaign could be a step back for the state Republican party's goal of trying to bring more Hispanics to the party.

More recently, in a Dallas Morning News endorsement of Senator Van de Putte, the editorial board said Patrick's primary governing tools are "fear and division." But, it's also a message that the Tea Party likes. And right now, that's the main block of voters driving the Republican party.

Nathan: Now, you said he was criticized during the GOP primary, has he modified his message in the general election?

Ben: Yes, he has, really until that ad about ISIS coming across the border, he has focused much more on his proposals for cutting taxes and limiting state spending.

He's been really pushing the idea of cutting property taxes, and making up some of that lost revenue with increased sales taxes, although he hasn't offered a detailed plan yet on just how he'd do that, since the state isn't collecting the property taxes in the first place. That's done by local governments and school districts.

Nathan: So what about his opponent, Senator Van de Putte?

Ben: Van de Putte has tried to capitalize on any concerns more moderate and traditional business Republicans have with Patrick. She's pushed her work with veterans in the Texas Senate and highlighted her goals to invest in state infrastructure like water, transportation and education. Something chambers of commerce like to hear…and spending she says Senator Patrick has not supported in the past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfJSeVnBTyU

Nathan: Ok, Ben, so who's ahead going into early voting.

Ben: Well, I feel like I'm sounding like a broken record this week…but, as with the Attorney General and Comptroller races, this is a red state. And polls show Patrick with a lead.

Why is the office of the lieutenant governor considered by some to be the most powerful office in Texas state government?

The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the Legislative Budget Board.

Why is Texas lieutenant governor considered the most powerful politician in the state quizlet?

Why is the Lieutenant Governor considered one of the most powerful officials in Texas? He is presiding officer of the senate he pretty much controls it. Unless he approves law it won't go through. He doesn't answer to governor so he doesn't have to agree with governor.

Why is the lieutenant governor often considered the most powerful official in state government quizlet?

Why is the office of lieutenant governor often considered the most powerful office in state government? The lieutenant governor has a key legislative role and a statewide constituency.

What is role of the lieutenant governor of Texas quizlet?

The Lieutenant Governor serves as chairman of the Legislative Budget Board and the Legislative Council (helps write bills), and is vice-chairman of the Legislative Audit Committee (makes sure money gets spent the right way) and the Legislative Education Board.