Essay About Budget Process And Executive Powers

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Though the Governor exercises executive powers, some observers note that governors also influence (or attempt to influence) legislative and judicial power. We can also think about the Governor in terms of roles he or she plays Ð- chief executive, chief legislator, commander-in-chief, head of state, party leader, and popular figurehead. One can also think of the Governor in terms of the formal and informal powers that governors can exercise. Formal powers are those that are clearly defined in the state constitution and in state laws. However one chooses to sort through the job of being Governor, the key objectives should be to understand these limits, to understand how effective governors effectively govern through and around those limits, and to use this understanding to make thoughtful judgments about how governors perform their duties. To accomplish this, we start by looking at the formal institutional rules that structure the governors job. The Texas Governor also exercises less influence over the budget process than the U.S. President or many other governors. The legislature takes the lead in the budget process, leaving the Governor with the opportunity to speak publicly of priorities but with little influence on the formal budgeting process. The Lieutenant Governor is the Chair of the LBB, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives is Vice Chair. The Chairs of the House Appropriations Committee, House Committee on Ways and Means, Senate Finance Committee, and Senate State Affairs Committee are also automatically seated on the board. The Lieutenant Governor appoints two additional members of the Senate, and the House Speaker appoints two additional members of the House. The Governor delivers a budget message, but it has no binding authority. Law allows the Governor to depart from the budget by transferring money between programs or agencies to meet emergency needs, though such transfers must be approved by the LBB. The LBB can also initiate such transfers, subject to the approval of the Governor. Governors can try to thwart legislative budget priorities after the fact by vetoing legislation at the end of the legislative process. Governor Rick Perrys record 82 vetoes of legislation passed during the 2001 session received a barrage of criticism from both parties. Perry, however, successfully characterized the vetoes as controlling government growth during his 2002 reelection campaign.