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Governor of Nebraska
| Nebraska Governor | |
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| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| 2012-13 FY Budget: | $1,652,727 |
| Term limits: | Two consecutive terms |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Nebraska Constitution, Article IV, Section I |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
 | |
| Name: | Dave Heineman |
| Officeholder Party: | Republican |
| Assumed office: | January 20, 2005 |
| Compensation: | $105,000 |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 2, 2010 |
| Last election: | November 4, 2014 |
| Other Nebraska Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Natural Resources Director • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
Contents |
Current officer
The 39th and current governor is Dave Heineman, a Republican elected in 2006 and 2010.
After graduating from West Point, Heineman served for five years with the United States Army, leaving with the rank of captain. He graduated from the Army Ranger training program during his years of service.
Education:
- Bachelor's degree, United States Military Academy at West Point (1970) in economics
Authority
The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.
Under Article IV, Section I:
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The executive officers of the state shall be the Governor... |
Additionally, under Article IV, Section 6:
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The supreme executive power shall be vested in the Governor, who shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed and the affairs of the state efficiently and economically administered.' |
Qualifications
| Governors |
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| Current Governors |
| Gubernatorial Elections |
| 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 Lists of candidates |
| Current Lt. Governors |
| Lt. Governor Elections |
| 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 |
| Breaking news |
Candidates for governor must be:
- at least 30 years old
- a resident of the state of Nebraska for at least 5 years
- a citizen of the United States
While serving, the Governor is ineligible for any other state office.
Elections
Nebraska elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years.[1] For Nebraska, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Thursday in the January following an election. Thus, January 6, 2011 and January 1, 2015 are inaugural days.
In the event of a tie, the legislature shall choose the winner from two highest vote getters.
Term limits
- See also: States with gubernatorial term limits
Nebraska governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait four years before being eligible to run again.
Nebraska Constitution, Article IV-1
| The Governor shall be ineligible to the office of Governor for four years next after the expiration of two consecutive terms for which he or she was elected. |
Partisan composition
The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Nebraska State Governors from 1992-2013.
Vacancies
- See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article IV, Section 16.
If the governorship becomes vacant for any reason, the Lieutenant Governor and then the Speaker of the Legislature shall succeed. The Governor may also devolve powers to the Lieutenant Governor when the former is absent or temporarily unable to discharge the office.
If a Governor-elect is unable to take the office or is disqualified before being inaugurated, the Lieutenant Governor-elect is inaugurated in his place and served the full term.
Duties
The governor is the commander-in-chief of the state military forces in the state of Nebraska. The governor is the chief budget officer and must present the state legislature with a complete budget for all expenditures used in running the state’s regular business.
The governor is the chairperson of the Board of State Canvassers and the Board of Pardons. The governor is a member of the State Records Board, Nebraska Capitol Commission, Education Commission of the States, State Board of Health, Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission, Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice and other groups as provided by law.
Other duties and privileges of the office include:
- Giving information by message to the Legislature
- Giving accounts of all money received and spent
- Appointing certain officers as required by the constitution and statutes and filling vacancies in state offices * Signing or vetoing bills passed by the Legislature
- Calling elections to fill vacancies for members of the U.S. Congress
- Certifying notaries
- Issuing requisitions for the return of accused persons to Nebraska and other states and countries
- Enforcing criminal laws
- Convening special sessions of the legislature
- Using the "Great Seal of the State of Nebraska"
State budget
The budget for the Governor's office in Fiscal Year 2012-13 was $1,652,727.[2]
Compensation
In 2012, the Governor of Nebraska was paid an estimated $105,000 according to the Council of State Governments.
The salary of the governor is set by the Constitution, under Article IV, Section 25.
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The officers provided for in this article shall receive such salaries as may be provided by law. Such officers, or such other officers as may be provided for by law, shall not receive for their own use any fees, costs, or interest upon public money in their hands. |
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, in Nebraska there were Democratic governors in office for the first seven years while there were Republican governors in office for the last 15 years.
Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992-2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Nebraska, the Nebraska State Senate and the Nebraska House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
Contact information
Lincoln Office/State Capitol
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 94848
Lincoln, NE 68509-4848
Phone:402-471-2244
Fax:402-471-6031
Western Office
Office of the Governor
4500 Avenue I
P.O. Box 1500
Scottsbluff, NE 69363-1500
Phone:308-632-1370
Fax:308-632-1313
See also
- Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman
- Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska
- Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy
- Nebraska Attorney General
- Nebraska Secretary of State
External links
References
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State of Nebraska Lincoln (capital) |
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| Ballot Measures |
List of Nebraska ballot measures | Local measures | School bond issues | Ballot measure laws | Initiative laws | History of I&R | History of direct democracy | Campaign Finance Requirements | Recall process | |
| Government |
Nebraska State Constitution | House of Representatives | Senate | Legislative Fiscal Division | Legislative Research Division | Accountability and Disclosure Commission | |
| State executive officers |
Governor | Lieutenant Governor | Attorney General | Secretary of State | Treasurer | Auditor of Public Accounts | Commissioner of Education | Director of Insurance | Director of Agriculture | Director of Natural Resources | Commissioner of Labor | Nebraska Public Service Commission | |
| Judiciary |
Nebraska Supreme Court | Judicial Qualifications Commission | District Courts | Judicial Nominating Commission | Judicial news | Judicial activist organizations | |
| Transparency Topics |
Public Records Law | Transparency Checklist | Government corruption reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | Transparency blogs | State budget | Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations | |
| Divisions |
State |
List of Counties |
List of Cities |
List of School Districts | |
