Chapter 4: Texas Governors

Governor

• what they do

• how they interact with other branches

The Office of the Governor

• Skeptical of govt power

• Influenced by colonial experience

  • Influenced by the colonial United States and their own colonial experience with Mexico

  • Early texans saw the government as an impediment to survival

• Power of governor has grown

• Qualifications

  • Age - 30

  • Residency - 5 years

  • US citizenship - yes

  • No other employment or compensation

    • it’s a full time job

  • Other common characteristics

    • White guys

    • older

    • wealthy

    • Christian

  • Governorship pinnacle of career

  • Occasionally no experience

  • Conservative, Democratic 1978

  • Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson first female governor

  • Anne Richards second woman elected

  • Yet to elect Hispanic governor

    • NO HISPANIC YET

  • Commonalities of Texas governors

• Terms

  • Four-year terms, limitless terms

  • Short terms in early America

  • Many served two, two-year terms

  • Four-year term in 1972

• Succession

  • Resigns, dies, or is impeached

  • Order of succession

  • When governor is out of state

• Compensation

  • Salasry since 1876 requires vote

  • Perks for for Texas Governor

• Impeachment

  • Inict elected official for misdeeds

  • Who may be impeached

  • Texas House passes articles of impeachment

Powers of the Governor

• 1876 Texas Constitution rejected centralized executive

• E.J. Davis governorship

• Powers have drifted and expanded

• Executive

  • Governor directs state bureaucracy

  • Appointment power

  • Plural executive

  • Creation of new boards and agencies

  • Appointment creep

  • Governor makes 3,000 appoint

  • Recess appointment

  • Senatorial courtesy

  • Removal power

  • Holdover appointment

  • Patrongage

  • Executive order

  • Budget power

  • Line-item veto

    • edit some part of the budget bill and delete then approve (basically look at the veto as a BIG erasure)

• Legislative

  • Agenda setting

    • mandated lowk

    • the 3 ways the governor can adjust the agenda:

      • State of the state address

      • Emergency legislation

      • Special session

  • Special Session

    • 30 days to deal with it

    • and they HAVE to talk abt it

  • Veto power

    • ability to say no to a bill on their desk

  • Vetoes seen as weakness

• Judicial Roles

  • Early limits on governor’s power

  • Appointments for vacancies b/n elections

  • Pardon

• Other Roles

  • Ceremonial Duties

  • Crisis manager

• Military Roles

  • Commander in chief Texas National and State Guard

  • Restricted after Hurricane Katrina

Powers of the Governor

• Texas Governor: Weak or Strong?

  • Historically preferred weak executives

  • Measures of institutional power

  • Long tenure of Governor Perry

Informal powers

• Personality often transcends policy

• Informal power

• popular mandate

  • something leaders claim when they win an election

• Political ambition ladder

Winners and Losers

• Branches with checks

• Weak executive and overpowered legislature

• Texas today