What are a Governor's Responsibilities?

A governor is the head of a non-sovereign state. Countries all over the world have this role within their government, with differing titles for it.

Each of the 50 states in the United States has a governor, who is ultimately responsible for how the state is run. State constitutions delegate different duties and requirements for the role of governor, such as the number of terms a candidate may be elected for the office and the age requirement to run. The rules for the line of succession vary, as do the responsibilities of the role. There are some significant similarities however.

In all US states, this person is the chief executive of the state and runs the executive branch of the government. He is the commander-in-chief of the military and is responsible for managing the state budget. Furthermore, the US constitution states that the he or she is allowed to fill vacancies in the state's two Senate seats.

In Georgia, for example, the governor has the power to veto legislation from the Georgia General Assembly. The veto, however, can be overturned by two-thirds of both houses in the Assembly: the House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition, he or she can fill vacancies in both Assembly houses.

While the Georgia General Assembly sets the budget, the budget is at the control of the governor. Therefore, it is possible for him or her to allocate the budget according to his or her political allies and foes. Furthermore, the Georgia governor, unlike the one in Florida, is not equal to leaders of other state departments. Instead, he outranks them.

Governors also have significant involvement in foreign affairs, especially due to the advent of the Homeland Security Bureau. They must be familiar with security procedures, such as raising the terror alert. In addition to international politics, governors have influence within national policy decisions. In 2006, George Pataki and Bob Ehrlich threatened legal action if Dubai Portal World was allowed to enforce security in US ports. These legal actions include canceling state lease agreements at the ports in question.