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Responsibilities of the Office of Lieutenant
Governor
The principal constitutional responsibility
is to be the first official in the line of
succession to the governor’s office. In
nearly half of the states, the lieutenant
governor presides over the senate and serves
as acting governor whenever the governor is
absent from the state.
Most state constitutions do not prescribe
detailed duties for the office. This allows
governors and lieutenant governors to
exercise flexibility in integrating the
office into the administration. In a growing
number of states, the governors are choosing
to appoint their lt. governor to head a
state department, in addition to other
designated duties.
In many states, the duties of lieutenant
governor have been increased by legislation
to include the lieutenant governor’s service
on state boards, commissions and task
forces. Many lieutenant governors serve as
members of their governors’ cabinet or
advisory bodies. In several states,
statutory and constitutional provisions
require the chief executive to partially
define the duties of their lieutenant
governor. Most lieutenant governors are
active in legislative pursuits.
In those states where the official next in
line of succession to the governor is a
secretary of state or senate president, the
responsibilities are those traditionally
assigned to the respective offices along
with the succession and acting governor
provisions.
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