How office affects the voter

The governor is essentially the CEO of the state, working in concert with the Legislature. The governor appoints (and Legislature approves) the department heads for the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, Transportation, Natural Resources, Banking and Finance, Insurance, Motor Vehicles, Administrative Servies, Economic Development, Correctional Services, Nebraska State Patrol, and Health and Human Services. (Department of Education is handled by the Nebraska State Board of Education.)

Duties and Responsibilities

Bills passed by the Legislature require the governor’s signature to become law. The governor can stop a bill from becoming law with a veto, but the veto can be overridden with 33 votes. The governor may not veto a law enacted by a vote of the people. Besides appointing all the Department heads, the Governor appoints members of commissions (like Game and Parks), some also with Legislature approval. There are approximately 250 Commissions. The governor is responsible for presenting a 2-year budget to the Legislature that can be amended at the beginning of the next legislative session. The Legislature can add ideas, but the governor has line-item veto power. Some governor appointees can be fired by the governor, but civil service protections prevent firing unless for cause, not for changing political party, for example. A major appointment responsibility is working with the judge nominating committee – which the governor also appoints according to requirements in statutes. (Chapter 24, starting with paragraph 801.

Requirements for the position

The requirements for the position state that the candidate must be a registered voter, must be at least 30 years old, and must have been a resident and a citizen of the United States and of Nebraska for at least five (5) years next preceding his or her election.

Other information

The ideal gubernatorial candidate will have management skills, the ability to delegate while still maintaining accountability, a sense of ethics (for managing the public money and trust), political skills (for interacting with the Legislature), discernment for multitudes of appointments, and understanding of the Law for appointing judges. The governor sets the tone for the state.

Term of office

Term of office is 4 years, repeatable only once for a total of 8 years. A former governor can run again after being out of office for at least 4 years.

Partisan?

Candidates are nominated by their party in a primary election.

When election is held

Every four years.

Links

See Article IV, Section 1 of the Nebraska Constitution (page 27), (https://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Constitution/constitution.pdf) https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=81-829.40