preview

Georgia Governor Deal Research Paper

Decent Essays

Recently Georgia Governor, Nathan Deal, struck down a controversial law that would have allowed concealed handguns on college campuses throughout the state. The law would have impacted thousands of students throughout the state and Gov. Deal followed up his veto by asking the General Assembly to pass follow-up legislation to the bill that may address the concerns he had about the original bill. Governor Deal stated although he knew the intent of the bill was to increase safety on campuses, he questioned the likelihood that HB 859 would actually increase safety. Many important people supported the governor in his decision including the “Board of Regents, the presidents of its 29 institutions, [and] its campus police chiefs…” Conversely, the …show more content…

The governor is elected every four years by a plurality and holds many formal and informal powers including: the power to veto, control over the executive budget, and appointing new members for many boards, role as commander-in-chief for their respective state, and the duty to uphold and execute laws. A generation of modernization and reform has led to enhanced powers for governors. The governor’s most important powers for controlling the state government are the veto and executive budget. Governor Deal of Georgia utilized his veto power in order to strike down the campus carry legislation proposed earlier this year by the Georgia General Assembly. Unlike presidential vetoes, it usually is difficult for state legislatures to override gubernatorial vetoes. Similarly, the governors of some states, such as Georgia, possess the power to use a line-item veto. This veto allows governors to veto only certain parts of a bill rather than the entire bill. This power prevents legislation from holding a bill hostage. However, like the president, it is important for the governor to garner support from the public as well as other high-ranking officials such as the State Superintendent of Schools, members of the General Assembly, Board of Regents, etc. in order to maintain political clout. Governor Deal of Georgia often displays this such as in his decision to lower the number of state-mandated tests. The governors of today have tools and skills that assist them in controlling state government and guiding the state in the policy direction they think is

Get Access