The president represents and is responsible to the people as a whole. The president is the representative the government and the people in national and international affairs. Compared to the president, the governor of Texas is weak. Executive power in Texas is divided among a number of separately elected officials, all of whom are elected by and to the people as a whole. To better understand the restrictions placed on the office it is necessary to remember that the Constitution of 1876 was a reaction to the Reconstruction government that existed in Texas following the Civil War. During that time the governor was very powerful and many regarded state government as oppressive and corrupt.
The governor of Texas is the chief executive of the state and is elected by the citizens every four years. Only three constitutional qualifications are required to become governor of Texas. The governor must be at least 30 years old and a resident of Texas for the five years immediately before the election and must be a U.S. citizen.
The governor makes policy recommendations that lawmakers in both the state House and Senate chambers may sponsor and introduce as bills. The governor also appoints the Secretary of State, as well as members of boards and commissions who oversee the heads of state agencies and departments. The design of the Texas Constitution denies the governor the opportunity to exercise powers held by governors in many other states. Unlike the U.S. President, who with Senate approval appoints his cabinet, the Texas Governor must share executive power with other executive officers. But despite having fewer resources and more limitations, modern governors can be successful in implementing their priorities and policies.
One of the basic powers the governor exercises over the legislative process is the veto, which enables governors to nullify bills, concurrent resolutions, and appropriation items. A skillful governor can use the threat of the veto to influence legislation during the session. The veto can also be used as a last resort intervention in the budget process to affect spending priorities at the end of a legislative session. Look at the “vetoes” column on the interactive governors table to review governors’ use of the veto.
If a governor neither signs nor vetoes a bill, it automatically becomes law without the governor’s signature. This is in contrast to the process at the federal level, which in some circumstances allows a president to kill a bill without signing it or vetoing it. This process is called the pocket veto, and it is not available to Texas governors.
Governors can also attempt to shape the legislative process by invoking their constitutional authority to call special sessions of the Legislature. The purpose of a special session is to focus attention on a particular problem or to respond to a particular crisis. These sessions may last no more than thirty days and may only consider agenda items specified by the governor meaning the things discussed during the session is chosen by the governor. This places a premium on the precise wording used when the governor calls for a special session. A carelessly worded order for a special session could provide legislators with an opportunity to subvert the governor’s intentions and consider legislation of their own choosing.
Because judges at all levels of the Texas judiciary are elected, the governor exercises less power over the judiciary than the U.S. President, who makes all appointments to the federal judiciary. Yet governors do get some opportunities to influence the state judiciary, because the governor appoints judges to fill vacancies that result from death, removal, resignation, or the creation of new courts by the legislature. These appointed judges will have the advantage of incumbency should they seek reelection. The governor also has limited powers of clemency, which gives him or her the capacity to grant relief from criminal punishment. Unlike governors in many states, the Texas governor cannot independently issue a pardon or sentence commutation. In death penalty cases, the governor can issue one thirty-day reprieve. He or she can also make recommendations to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and can either approve or reject the board’s recommendations on pardons or sentence reductions.
Prior to a 1934 constitutional amendment, the governor had independent pardon powers. The amendment removing these powers was added after Jim and Miriam Ferguson were accused of selling clemency during her term as governor. In modern times, governors have used what clemency powers they have been left with sparingly. As the application of the death penalty in the state has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism, and new technology has been made available to review old cases, governors have used reprieves to deflect criticism by allowing for further review of death penalty cases. These incidents have been rare, given the weak opposition to capital punishment. In cases where there is some compelling question about carrying out an execution, governors are ultimately in a safe position. Granting a thirty-day reprieve can appear judicious but not overly soft on criminals, as the governor cannot prevent an execution on his or her own. Yet in the event a mistake is found and a wrongful execution prevented, the governor is likely to appear careful and just. Still, Texas governors have granted such reprieves relatively rarely.
As the 48th governor of the State of Texas, Greg Abbott continues to build on his long record as a conservative leader who fights to preserve Texas values like faith, family and freedom. Under governor Abbott’s leadership, Texas again leads the nation in job creation as a record number of Texans are employed even as the state’s population continues its record growth.
Due in part to successes from his first legislative session that included cutting billions in taxes to stimulate job growth, improving Texas roads, focusing on quality education, securing the border and expanding protection of Texans’ constitutional rights, the Texas economy is now the tenth-largest among the nations of the world.
And Governor Abbott’s achievements from the most recently completed legislative session will help forge an even broader path to prosperity for more Texas families.
Building on the four pillars of safety and security, education, economic advancement and the preservation of liberty, he proudly signed legislation banning sanctuary cities, reforming the child protective system, investing in early and higher education, reining in regulatory regimes that strangle innovation, and ensuring that unborn children are treated with the basic dignity human life demands.
Prior to his election in 2014, Greg Abbott was the 50th and longest-serving Attorney General of Texas. As the state’s chief law enforcement official, he earned a national reputation for defending religious liberty and for protecting Texas communities and children.
He also previously served as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court and as a State District Judge in Harris County.
A native Texan and avid sportsman and hunter, Governor Abbott was born in Wichita Falls and raised in Duncanville. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in finance, he earned a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. Shortly after graduating from law school, he was partially paralyzed by a falling tree while jogging.
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