State Executive Branch
The state
executive
branch of government sees to
it that our laws are carried out. The
governor
is the
leader of our executive branch, and is elected to a four-
year term. Our citizens also elect several additional
officials who advise the governor and performother
special duties. These officials include the
lieutenant
governor
,
attorney general
,
state treasurer
, and
auditor general
. The Governor also prepares a budget
to determine wheremoney is to be spent.
The lieutenant governor helps the governor with his
duties and serves as governor if the governor dies,
resigns his office, or becomes too disabled to perform
his duties. The lieutenant governor also presides over
the Senate and votes if there is a tie vote.
The attorney general is the chief law enforcement
officer of the state, and can bring criminal charges
against people, groups, and businesses. Court crimes
can be related to drugs, corruption, or fraud, to name
a few.
The state treasurer manages themoney that the
state collects from taxes and other sources. He or
she alsomanages themoney paid for state services.
Remember, a tax ismoney that people pay to the
government to ensure that it can pay for the goods
and services it provides. Taxes are part of laws we
obey and people pay taxes at the national, state,
county, and local levels.
The auditor general sees to it that all collected
money for the state is placed in the state treasury and
that thismoney is legally spent. He or she conducts
audits
to check the accuracy of recordkeeping, and is
the “watchdog” of the state treasury.
In addition to our elected officials, the governor
selects people to lead approximately 15 different
governmental departments that help run the state
government. These departments include Education,
Transportation, Agriculture, Environmental Resources,
Commerce, Health, Revenue, and Public Welfare. We
also havemany state agencies, such as the Fish and
Boat Commission, tomanage state businessmatters.
Our citizens often come in contact with officials of
the state executive branch. We obtain our driver’s
licenses through the Department of Transportation, and
many law enforcement officials operate within the
executive branch of government. Our 117 state parks
also operate under the umbrella of the executive branch.
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief
of the United States Forest
Service, and one of only two
people to serve as Governor
of Pennsylvania twice.
Pinchot was elected
Governor for one four-
year term in 1922, and
then again for one term
in 1930. But he is best
remembered for his
efforts in the early
1900s under President
Theodore Roosevelt to
conserve our country’s
forests. Pinchot battled
both forest
preservationists and
profit-hungry timber
companies toward his goal
of planned use and renewal
of our country’s rich forests.
G
IFFORD
P
INCHOT
110
Understanding Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission helps to protect and conserve
our aquatic resources and provide fishing
and boating opportunities for all.
