Lieutenant governor (United States)

A Deputy Governor (English lieutenant governor ) have in the United States, 45 of the 50 states, as well as four outside areas. The Lieutenant Governor of each State 's deputy governor. Separating these prematurely from office, then the Vice Governor of new governor. In the temporary absence of the Governor, the Vice Governor may at times perceive the tasks of business leaders. In many states, the lieutenant governor is also of each State Senate.

Official Description

Usually, the duties of the lieutenant governor include three main points. The Lieutenant Governor of each U.S. state is representative of the Governor. The death of the governor, he resigns or is impeached, the lieutenant governor is automatically moving to the new governor. In most countries where the office exists, the vice-governor moves fully into the governorship, ie assumes the entire post in full and not just a caretaker. He leads the current term of office until their regular end on. Only in Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor is only managing governor. In many states, there is also the rule that the Lieutenant Governor the duties of the governor perceives temporarily -executive (as Acting Governor ), especially if the governor is staying even outside his state.

In many states, the respective deputy governor also stands before the state Senate as Senate President, so one of the two chambers of the state legislatures. Here, the lieutenant governor has no formal vote. However, should a tie occur, the Lieutenant Governor is entitled to his vote to decide. This competence can come up to the state level an important political significance in the legislative process it. As Senate President, the Vice Governor shall chair the meetings of the right, but this right he does not always far from true. Every state Senate always elects a president pro tempore ( President of the Senate on time ), which represents the Lieutenant Governor during his absence and usually directs the daily operations of the respective Senate. The representation power of the President pro tempore, however, includes only presided over the Houses of Parliament and not the Office of the Lieutenant-Governor himself In many states the President but is pro tempore in third or fourth place in the succession plan for the governorship ( but he does not advance to the Deputy Governor when a vacancy occurs in that office, or assumes more responsibilities of the Lieutenant-Governor ). The task of the Senate Chair of a Lieutenant-Governor is similar to the role of the U.S. Vice President, who also chairs the U.S. Senate and also only in the event of a deadlock has one vote.

Vice Governors are not least also entrusted with representative tasks. This includes the representation of the State Government for important events, or more rarely, visiting other nations.

As in many states is responsible for the compilation of the State Government either the governor or senior officials are elected themselves, the political significance of the Lieutenant Governor often depends on whether and to what extent it involves the governor in the business of government. The position is also dependent on the state, in Texas, for example, exerts the Lieutenant Governor by the Presidency on the budget committee more influence than in most other states. In some states the office (as well as that of the U.S. Vice-President ) is considered negligible as the Lieutenant Governor in contrast to a minister no special department is allocated. In California, once joked in public, the job of the Lieutenant-Governor had to get up there in the morning, read the paper and see if the governor died, and if not to lay down to sleep again.

The five states without a lieutenant governor are Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon and Wyoming. In these states, the governor is represented by the respective Senate President or Secretary of the Interior ( Secretary of State ).

Choice

In 18 countries, the Lieutenant Governor is fully directly elected independently by the people, in two he is determined by the state Senate of the State and in 25 states it is chosen jointly with the Governor ( on a so-called ticket, similar to the U.S. President and U.S. Vice President ). In a separate election there is a possibility that the vice governor of another party listened as the governor. The practice that the lieutenant governor is elected separately in some countries, there was already the subject of public discussion and criticism, as in 2011 when the budget negotiations in California.

The term of all deputy governors is four years. In some states existed in the past two -year terms for their respective governor and lieutenant governor, but many parliaments these regulations repealed by a constitutional amendment. The choices are always made by direct election ( whether be lieutenant governor and governor chosen independently together), so do not like the U.S. president a electors system. Find all gubernatorial elections, as throughout the United States, always held in November, mostly parallel to the midterm elections and the elections to the respective federal state parliaments ( which usually exist except in Nebraska, consists of two chambers ), on Tuesday, after the first Monday of the month. The handover is done with few exceptions, the following January, rare in December. However, the date of the inauguration of the Lieutenant Governor is always identical to that of the governor.

In some countries there is also Vice- Governors of office. Also, the Lieutenant Governor must often have achieved in order to be eligible, the 25th, 30th or 35th birthday. In addition, the U.S. citizenship. However, this is not necessary from birth. However, often a minimum service life is provided in the appropriate state.

Elimination of a Deputy Governor

If the Vice- Governor before the end of his term in office because of death, ride back or removal from office, or he moves on to the Governor, the Office remains vacant until the next election in most states. In the follow list either a minister, the president pro tempore of the State Senate or the chairman of the lower chamber ( usually the House of Representatives or State Assembly ) would become the acting governor. But these people do not advance to the Deputy Governor or capture business leader whose duties but remain in office. It is, however, disputed ( regulated in others) in some states, if the Governor is authorized to appoint a lieutenant governor when this office is unoccupied. For a broad discussion in this respect it was first used in 2009 in the state of New York, as Governor David Paterson, of his retired predecessor Eliot followed a year earlier from the office of Lieutenant Governor Spitzer took office, Richard Ravitch appointed Lieutenant Governor of New York. The appointment was controversial in both the state legislature and the U.S. media. The Attorney General of the State (and later governor) Andrew Cuomo expressed concerns regarding Paterson's decision and questioned the constitutionality of the appointment. The state Senate was split several weeks into two equal camps until he finally agreed with a vote of 32:30 Governor Paterson. This argued that the governor had to appoint under the laws of the State of New York the right to senior government officials. Paterson's decision was later referred to by the Constitutional Court of the State of New York as legitimate. Ravitch was previously sworn in as lieutenant governor and exercised the office until the end of the term of office on December 31, 2010.