Table 4.14

Lieutenant Governors: Powers and Duties


FIPS State or other
jurisdiction
Presides over
Senate
Appoints
committees
Breaks roll-
call ties
Assigns bills Authority for
governor to
assign duties
Member of
governor's
cabinet or
advisory body
Serves as acting
governor when
governor out of
state
Other duties (a)
01Alabama*

✓(b)(c)
02Alaska*

(c)
04ArizonaNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLGNLG
05Arkansas

(c)
06California*✓(r)

(c)
08Colorado

(c)
09Connecticut*

(c)
10Delaware*

(c)
12Florida*

13Georgia*

(c)
15Hawaii

(c)
16Idaho*

17Illinois*

(c)
18Indiana

(c)
19Iowa*(e)

(f)(g)
20Kansas*

21Kentucky

(h)(c)
22Louisiana*

(c)
23MaineNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLGNLG
24Maryland*

25Massachusetts*

(c)
26Michigan*

✓(j)(c)
27Minnesota

(c)
28Mississippi*

(c)
29Missouri

(c)
30Montana

(q)
31Nebraska✓(k)

32Nevada*✓(l)

(c)
33New HampshireNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLGNLG
34New Jersey*

(c)
35New Mexico

36New York*✓(m)

37North Carolina*

(c)
38North Dakota

39Ohio

(c)
40Oklahoma✓(n)

(c)
41OregonNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLGNLG
42Pennsylvania*

(c)
44Rhode Island*

(c)
45South Carolina*

(c)
46South Dakota

47Tennessee

48Texas*

49Utah*

(c)
50Vermont*✓(o)✓(o)

51Virginia*

53Washington

(c)
54West Virginia

(c)
55Wisconsin

56WyomingNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLGNLG
60American Samoa*

66Guam*(k)

69CNMI* **

(c)
72Puerto RicoNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLGNLG
78U.S. Virgin Islands*

✓(f)


Source:

The Council of State Governments' survey of lt. governors' offices, 2023.

Key:

* Responses carried forward due to state nonresponse.
** Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
N/A Not available.
Provision for responsibility.
No provision for responsibility.

Footnotes:

(a)

In some states you must be a U.S. citizen to be an elector, and must be an elector to run.

(b)

In some states you must be a state resident to be an elector, and must be an elector to run.

(d)

In 1993 a constitutional limit of two lifetime terms in the office was enacted.

(e)

Eligible for eight out of 16 years

(f)

In Tennessee, the speaker of the senate, elected from Senate membership, has statutory title of “lieutenant governor.”

(g)

In West Virginia, the president of the senate and the lieutenant governor are one in the same. The legislature provided in statute the title of lieutenant governor upon the senate president. The senate president serves two-year terms, elected by the Senate on the first day of the first session of each two year legislative term.

(h)

Must be a U.S. national.

(ff)

Information not provided.