Civics & Economics – Goal 3 The NC Executive Branch

North Carolina ’ s Governor, Pat McCrory ® Every state has an executive branch headed by a Governor The NC State Constitution spells out the duties and qualifications of governor Governor Pat McCrory, Elected 2012

North Carolina ’ s Governor The governor is NC ’ s chief of state, the symbolic leader who speaks for North Carolina The Governor is like the President to state government.

Roles of the North Carolina Governor The governor is NC ’ s chief executive, responsible for seeing that state policies are carried out The governor appoints many key state officials, coordinates the work of most state agencies, and administers and proposes the state budget The governor may grant pardons to convicted criminals or commute- reduce- a criminal ’ s sentence

North Carolina ’ s Governor The governor represents NC when dealing with other states and the federal government

North Carolina ’ s Governor The governor ’ s term is for 4 years; the state constitution limits the governor to two consecutive terms

North Carolina ’ s Governor To run for office of governor, you must be at least 30 years old, been a US citizen for at least 5 years, and must have lived in NC 2 years before election 2016 gubernatorial candidates Pat McCrory (R) and Roy Cooper (D)

Lieutenant Governor The Lieutenant Governor is also elected for a 4 year term; they automatically succeed the governor if their office becomes vacant for any reason

Lieutenant Governor In 2000, NC voters elected the state ’ s first female lieutenant governor, Beverly Perdue (Perdue was elected governor in 2008) One term and done

Lieutenant Governor The lieutenant governor serves as president of the state senate and serves on various commissions and boards Unlike the president and VP the governor and lieutenant governor run for office and are elected separately; sometimes they have been from different parties

Other Executive Officers The governor appoints 10 head administrators to oversee separate departments; this is called the cabinet Dept. of Administration Dept. of Commerce Dept. of Correction Dept. of Crime Control & Public Safety Dept. of Cultural Resources Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources Dept. of Health & Human Services Dept. of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Dept. of Revenue Dept. of Transportation

Other Executive Officers The NC cabinet includes the Department of Administration, which shapes the state budget

Other Executive Officers The Department of Corrections runs the NC prison and parole systems, or the release of prisoners

Other Executive Officers The Department of Crime Control and Public Safety administers emergency management as well as the North Carolina Highway Patrol

Other Executive Officers Other cabinet positions include the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees public health and social spending

Other Executive Officers The Department of Environment and Natural Resources assists the governor with environmental protection policies and administering state parks

Other Executive Officers The governor appoints heads of the cabinet and is in charge of what they do; other departments report to executives elected directly by NC ’ s voters

The Council of State The voters of NC elect eight heads of state agencies; these executives are called the Council of State

The Council of State Thousands of people work for NC executive agencies, most are “ career employees ” who are selected on the basis of their qualifications; most agencies are in Raleigh These employees are working for the largest segment of state government, the executive branch

Offices of Council 1. The Attorney General oversees the State Bureau of Investigation

Offices of Council 2. The commissioner of agriculture and consumer services directs agricultural research and product safety monitoring Stevc Troxler Elected since 2004

Offices of Council 3. The commissioner of insurance regulates insurance companies

Offices of Council 4. The commissioner of labor oversees worker safety and fair employment

Offices of Council 5. The secretary of state registers corporations

Offices of Council 6. The superintendent of public instruction oversees and guides regulation of the state ’ s public school system June St. Clair Atkinson, Elected since 2004

Offices of Council 7. The state auditor reviews actions of other state departments

Offices of Council 8. The manager of the state ’ s money is the state treasurer

Offices of Council Each of these offices is elected to a four year term; unlike the governor and lieutenant governor, they can be reelected to an unlimited number of terms The 8 Council of State departments operate independent of the governor

Divided Authority *Positive Effects: voters elect department heads who share their views; independently elected officers gives agencies freedom to expose problems in government *Negative Effects: Having the governor appoint agency heads would lead to greater coordination in state government, reduce costs, and lead to better services