Governor of Maryland

Maryland Lieutenant Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Term limits:	2 consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Maryland Constitution, Article II, Section I
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Name:	Martin O'Malley
Officeholder Party:	Democratic
Assumed office:	January 17, 2007
Compensation:	$150,000
Elections
Next election:	Ineligible for re-election
Last election:	November 2, 2010
Other Maryland Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Comptroller • Treasurer • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Secretary • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Secretary of Labor • Public Service Commission

The Governor of the State of Maryland is an elected Constitutional officer, the head of the Executive branch, and the highest state office in Maryland. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

As of May 2013, Maryland is one of 12 Democratic state government trifectas.

Current officer

The 61st and current officeholder is Martin O'Malley, a Democrat elected in 2006 and 2010.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article II, the Executive Department.

Under Article II, Section I:

The executive power of the State shall be vested in a Governor...

Qualifications

Governors
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 Lists of candidates
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010
Breaking news

A candidate for the governor's chair must be:

• must be at least 30 years old
• a resident and registered voter in Maryland for the five years preceding the election

Elections

Maryland elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Maryland, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the third Wednesday in the January following an election. Thus, January 19, 2011 and January 21, 2015 are inaugural days.

In the event of a tie, the Senate and House of Delegates shall meet and cast ballots to choose the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor.

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

Maryland governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.

Maryland Constitution, Article II, Section 1

a person who has served two consecutive popular elective terms of office as Governor shall be ineligible to succeed himself as Governor for the term immediately following the second of said two consecutive popular elective terms.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article II, Sections 6 and 7.

Regarding the Governor-elect, if that individual dies or resigns, the Lieutenant Governor shall become the Governor for the full term. If the Governor-elect fails to take office for any other reason, the Lieutenant Governor shall take over with the title of 'Acting Governor' only until the vacancy is permanently filled.

When the Governor is temporarily unable to discharge the office, whether or not he is able to communicate that in writing to the Lieutenant Governor, the latter shall become the Acting Governor. Before resuming his duties, the Governor must inform the Lieutenant Governor in writing of the fact.

At any time, by a three-fifths vote, the General Assembly may declare the Governor, or the Lieutenant Governor, mentally or physically unfit to hold the office. For purposes of taking such a vote, a member of the Assembly may call both chambers into a joint session. If such a resolution concerning the Governor's fitness for office is adopted, it shall be delivered to a Maryland Court of Appeals, which shall, in turn, make a decision. The same process applies to a Governor-elect or a Lieutenant Governor-elect.

If the governor's seat becomes otherwise vacant, the Lieutenant Governor shall assume the office and complete the term. After him, the President of the Senate is next to succeed. He shall, as Acting Governor, retain the title of Senate President, but the Senate shall nominate another member to execute the actual tasks of that office.

Under circumstances when the Governor-elect fails to take office, the Court of Appeals has exclusive jurisdiction is settling disputes and issues that arise from that situation.

With respect to Article III, Section 26 of the Constitution, the legislature may remove and impeach the Governor or the Lieutenant Governor.

Duties

Because of the extent of her constitutional powers, the governor of Maryland has been ranked among the most powerful governors in the United States.

The governor is the commander-in-chief of all Maryland's naval and militia forces, though he may not take direct command without the consent of the legislature.

With the consent of the Senate, the Governor nominates and appoints all civil and military officers whose manner of appointment is not otherwise provided in law. However, under §10 and 10A, "lame duck" governors lose that privilege. Specifically, a governor who has lost a primary or a general election in a re-election bid in the span between the election he lost and the inauguration loses his appointment prerogatives. The same applies to a term limited Governor in the span between Election Day and Inauguration Day. The only exceptions is for emergencies, which require the Governor to file a Statement of Emergency with the Maryland Secretary of State; such appointments may be revoked by the succeeding Governor.

At his pleasure, the Governor may remove any appointee for incompetence or misconduct. Rare among governors, Maryland's chief executive may also suspend any military officer and may, further, initiate a Court Martial. (§ 15)

At least twice each year, the Governor must, under oath, examine the Treasurer and the Comptroller of Maryland, and review the state's books. (§ 18) Under § 19, the Governor also gives a periodic address to the legislature on the condition of the state and makes recommendations.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Convening extraordinary session of the legislature, or the Senate alone, as well as moving the location of the legislature's meeting under special circumstances (§ 16)

• Vetoing all bills from the legislature, including appropriations bills, subject to a legislative override (§ 17)

• Granting pardons and reprieves, saves in cases in impeachment, and forfeiting fines, provided he follows a certain protocol for notifying lawmakers and citizens of such action (§ 20)

• Reorganizing the Executive Branch, including establishing and abolishing entire departments, offices, and agencies (§ 24)

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries

Both § 20 and § 20A address the Governor's salary. Originally set at $20,000 a year under § 20, a 1976 Amendment, that took effect in 1978, introduced a seven-member commission. Serving four-year terms, the members shall elect a chair amongst themselves and, within ten days of the commencement of each Regular Legislative Session, make a written recommendation concerning the gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial salaries to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the General Assembly.

That recommendation must be introduced to the legislature as a joint resolution by the 15th day of session. The legislature may amend the resolution to decrease the salary but not to increase it. It the legislature fails to pass the resolution by the 50th day of session, the Commission recommended salary shall take effect.

The Commission may not recommend, and the legislature may not amend, the salary to be lower than that most recently received by the incumbent Governor. Whatever the outcome, the decided-upon salary takes effect with the beginning of the next gubernatorial term. If either the Commission or the Assembly fails to take action, the same salary already in place applies.

As of 2010, the Governor of Maryland is paid $150,000 a year, the 11th highest gubernatorial salary in America.

Gubernatorial residence

Pursuant to Section 20, Maryland is one of the few states where the state's Constitution actually requires that the sitting governor reside at the official residence.

Contact information

100 State Circle
Annapolis, Maryland 21401-1925
Phone:410.974.3901
Toll Free:1.800.811.8336

See also

• Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley
• Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
• Lieutenant Governor Anthony G. Brown
• Maryland Attorney General
• Maryland Secretary of State

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Maryland Governor

References

• Wikipedia, Governor of Maryland

Portions of this article were adapted from Wikipedia.

This state official-related article is in the process of being updated.