{"id":957,"date":"2024-10-15T15:56:27","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T15:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/?post_type=chapter&p=957"},"modified":"2026-10-12T10:47:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:47:59","slug":"9-1-governor","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/chapter\/9-1-governor\/","title":{"rendered":"9.1 Governor"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n\r\nA governor <\/strong>is the elected official who leads a state\u2019s executive branch and is responsible for carrying out state laws and managing the work of state government.\r\n\r\nIn Ohio, the governor holds the state\u2019s \u201csupreme executive power\u201d and is one of the most visible leaders in state government.\r\n\r\nA major part of the governor\u2019s job is managing the executive branch. The governor oversees state agencies and departments that carry out laws and provide public services. The governor appoints many agency leaders, sets priorities for the administration, and works with these officials to put state policies into practice.\r\n\r\nThe governor plays an important role in the lawmaking process. The governor may recommend legislation to the General Assembly and may call a special session of the legislature when necessary. A special legislative session<\/strong> is a meeting of the legislature held outside its regular schedule to consider specific issues or urgent matters.\r\n\r\nAfter the General Assembly passes a bill, the governor may sign it into law or veto it. For bills that spend state money, the governor also has a line-item veto<\/strong>, which allows individual spending items to be rejected without vetoing the entire bill. The General Assembly can override a governor\u2019s veto with a three-fifths vote in each chamber.\r\n\r\nAnother related responsibility is developing the state budget. The governor proposes a budget that lays out spending priorities for state programs and agencies. The General Assembly then considers, changes, and approves the budget through the legislative process.\r\n\r\nThe governor also appoints leaders and members of many state agencies, boards, and commissions. Some appointments require approval from the Ohio Senate.\r\n\r\nThe governor has important responsibilities during emergencies. Under the Ohio Constitution, the governor serves as commander-in-chief of the state\u2019s military forces and may call out the Ohio National Guard in response to disasters or other serious emergencies.\r\n\r\nThe governor also has the power of clemency<\/strong>. This includes the authority to grant pardons, reprieves, and commutations after a person has been convicted of a crime, subject to limits established by the Ohio Constitution and state law. A pardon<\/strong> forgives an offense, while a commutation<\/strong> reduces a criminal sentence.\r\n\r\nOhio governors are elected to four-year terms. A governor may serve no more than two consecutive four-year terms. After being out of office for at least four years, a former governor may run for the office again.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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\r\n
\r\n\r\nFoundational Facts\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nUnder Article III<\/a> of the Ohio Constitution, the Governor holds the highest executive authority in the state. This includes enforcing state laws, appointing officials (with Senate approval), preparing the state budget, and wielding veto power over legislation. The Governor also has the power to call special legislative sessions and mobilize the Ohio National Guard in emergencies. These powers, outlined in Ohio's Constitution, position the Governor as a central figure in state government.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nReferences\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nOhio Legislative Service Commission. 2023. Chapter 10 - The Executive Branch in A Guidebook for Ohio Legislators. Columbus OH.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nSracic, Paul A. and William C. Binning. 2015. Chapter 4 - The Ohio Executive Branch in Ohio Government and Politics. Washington DC: CQ Press.\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
\n

A governor <\/strong>is the elected official who leads a state\u2019s executive branch and is responsible for carrying out state laws and managing the work of state government.<\/p>\n

In Ohio, the governor holds the state\u2019s \u201csupreme executive power\u201d and is one of the most visible leaders in state government.<\/p>\n

A major part of the governor\u2019s job is managing the executive branch. The governor oversees state agencies and departments that carry out laws and provide public services. The governor appoints many agency leaders, sets priorities for the administration, and works with these officials to put state policies into practice.<\/p>\n

The governor plays an important role in the lawmaking process. The governor may recommend legislation to the General Assembly and may call a special session of the legislature when necessary. A special legislative session<\/strong> is a meeting of the legislature held outside its regular schedule to consider specific issues or urgent matters.<\/p>\n

After the General Assembly passes a bill, the governor may sign it into law or veto it. For bills that spend state money, the governor also has a line-item veto<\/strong>, which allows individual spending items to be rejected without vetoing the entire bill. The General Assembly can override a governor\u2019s veto with a three-fifths vote in each chamber.<\/p>\n

Another related responsibility is developing the state budget. The governor proposes a budget that lays out spending priorities for state programs and agencies. The General Assembly then considers, changes, and approves the budget through the legislative process.<\/p>\n

The governor also appoints leaders and members of many state agencies, boards, and commissions. Some appointments require approval from the Ohio Senate.<\/p>\n

The governor has important responsibilities during emergencies. Under the Ohio Constitution, the governor serves as commander-in-chief of the state\u2019s military forces and may call out the Ohio National Guard in response to disasters or other serious emergencies.<\/p>\n

The governor also has the power of clemency<\/strong>. This includes the authority to grant pardons, reprieves, and commutations after a person has been convicted of a crime, subject to limits established by the Ohio Constitution and state law. A pardon<\/strong> forgives an offense, while a commutation<\/strong> reduces a criminal sentence.<\/p>\n

Ohio governors are elected to four-year terms. A governor may serve no more than two consecutive four-year terms. After being out of office for at least four years, a former governor may run for the office again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\n
\n
\n

Foundational Facts\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Under Article III<\/a> of the Ohio Constitution, the Governor holds the highest executive authority in the state. This includes enforcing state laws, appointing officials (with Senate approval), preparing the state budget, and wielding veto power over legislation. The Governor also has the power to call special legislative sessions and mobilize the Ohio National Guard in emergencies. These powers, outlined in Ohio’s Constitution, position the Governor as a central figure in state government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

References<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Ohio Legislative Service Commission. 2023. Chapter 10 – The Executive Branch in A Guidebook for Ohio Legislators. Columbus OH.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Sracic, Paul A. and William C. Binning. 2015. Chapter 4 – The Ohio Executive Branch in Ohio Government and Politics. Washington DC: CQ Press.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":511,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-957","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":50,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/511"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3025,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/957\/revisions\/3025"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/50"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/957\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=957"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=957"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}