POLI 365 1nd Edition Lecture 11 Outline of Last Lecture I. Legislative Organization (continued)II. Institutional Power of GovernorsIII. Veto PowersOutline of Current Lecture I. Informal Powers of the GovernorII. Lieutenant GovernorIII. Attorney GeneralIV. Secretary of StateV. Budget CycleVI. Budget PressuresVII. Debt Current LectureI. Informal Powers of the Governor a. Visibility: the governor is the most visible elected official from the state. They getvisibility in the state from the citizenry, other states, and other countries. This visibility turns into power because it gives governors a platform for shaping the agenda, persuasion, and influence. b. Popular Support: varies amongst governors; governors tend to have popular public support at the beginning of their term. Popularity is affected by the economy, scandal, crisis situations, and national political party status. The higher your popular support, the more other political actors will respect youc. Public Relations and Media Skills: press releases etc. These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.d. Head of State Political Party: most visible elected official in that state’s political party. Legislators of your own political party have a greater incentive to adhere toyour agenda than a legislator of the opposite party. e. Negotiation and Bargaining SkillsII. Lieutenant Governor a. Main function is to succeed the governor in the event that the governor steps down/dies/is removed from officeb. Not many formal powers, other than that they preside over the Senate (which, in itself is not a big power- they would cast the tie-breaking vote) c. Sometimes delegated powers by the governor. This is especially common in places where the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket. III. Attorney General a. The attorney general is the chief legal counsel for the state. For example, if the state is being sued, the attorney general will represent the state. They often give opinions about the constitutionality of legislature, and are in charge of overseeing the state law enforcement. b. Elected in 43 states, and appointed in the others IV. Secretary of Statea. Elected in 36 states, appointed in the others b. Major responsibilities:i. Chief custodian of state records ii. Supervise the preparation of state ballots and certify election results V. Budget Cycle a. Annual vs. Biennial i. Most states have an annual budget, 20 states pass a budget every 2 yearsb. Fiscal year starts July 1st, but the cycle starts much earlier, starting with:i. Preparation: during preparation, revenue estimates are made, and agencies make requests about how much money they think they will needii. Formulation: Executive Budget is assembled iii. Adoption: budget is passed by legislature and signed by the governor (starting July 1st)iv. Execution: funds are transferred and spent, and adjustments are made v. Audit: review of funds spent VI. Budget Pressuresa. Balanced budgets are required i. Operating budget: monthly payments (such as your monthly bill for a mortgage)ii. Capital budget: pays for long-term investments, often related to infrastructure (big loan or financing, such as a mortgage) b. Tax and Expenditure Limits (TELs) i. Limitations that limit the state legislatures’ ability to either increase spending or increase taxes. In SC, for example, the growth and spending from year to year is limited whereby: if personal income is growing, the state budget can grow, but if personal income is not growing, the state budget cannot grow. c. Limited discretion because of legislation VII. Debt a. General Obligation Bonds: similar to borrowing money i. Secured by state general fund revenue through general taxesii. Pays for highways, schools, hospitals b. Revenue Bonds: go to very specific projects i. Backed by expected income from project or service ii. Toll roads, sewer systems (you get your money back by charging citizens to use these