FAQ PA Executive Branch

Pennsylvania’s executive branch is led by the Governor.

How often is the Governor elected?
The Governor is elected for a 4-year term, and is limited to 2 consecutive terms.
Elected in even years that are not Presidential elections.
Next Election in 2026.

What are the requirements to hold the office of Governor?

• Must be a citizen of the United States
• At least 30 years old
• A resident of Pennsylvania for at least seven years
• May not hold congressional office, any other Pennsylvania statewide office, or any federal office. The exception is that the lieutenant governor may be a reserve member of the national guard.

What are the Governor’s authorities and responsibilities?

• Submits an annual budget for approval by the state legislature.*
• Can veto budget bills, but the legislature can override it.
• Signs or vetoes legislation passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature. A two-thirds majority can override a veto.
• Oversees state agencies like the PA Department of Education, Department of Health, Corrections Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and Pennsylvania National Guard. 
• Appoints cabinet secretaries, with Senate advice and consent, to carry out the administration’s policy initiatives. There are usually about 22 cabinet members, but that varies according to how a governor chooses to structure their administration.
  ^{Article with more information about cabinet secretaries and their appointment in Pennsylvania
  Governor Shapero’s Cabinet}
• Speaks to the General Assembly on the state’s condition and suggests legislation.
• Is responsible for making sure state laws are followed.
• Can grant pardons, reprieves, and commutations, except in impeachment cases. Recommendations are made by the Board of Pardons.
• Makes emergency declarations
• Commands the State National Guard, through the state Adjutant General. Governors may call up the National Guard for active duty to help respond to domestic emergencies and disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. The Pennsylvania State Guard is currently inactive.

* Explanation of the Pennsylvania Budget Process (Source: Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts)
Longer Explanation of the Pennsylvania Budget Process (Source: Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee)

How often is the Lt. Governor elected?
The Lt. Governor is elected for a 4-year term, and is limited to 2 consecutive terms.
After selection in the Primary Election, the Lt. Governor is elected jointly with the governor in the general election, with voters casting a single vote for both offices.
Election is in even years that are not Presidential elections.
Next election year is 2026.

What are the requirements to hold the office of Lieutenant Governor?

• Citizen of the United States
• At least 30 years old
• A resident of Pennsylvania for at least seven years
• May not hold congressional office, any other Pennsylvania statewide office, or any federal office. The exception is that the lieutenant governor may be a reserve member of the national guard.

What are the Lt. Governor’s responsibilities authority?

• Presides over the Pennsylvania Senate
• Chairs the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons
• Chairs the Government Advisory Committee
• Chairs the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council
• Current Lt. Governor has been appointed Chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. 

How often is the Attorney General elected?
The Governor is elected for a 4-year term, and is limited to 2 consecutive terms.
Elected in Presidential Election years.
Election in 2024

What are the requirements to hold the office of Attorney General?

• Citizen of the United States
• At least 30 years old
• A resident of Pennsylvania for at least the previous seven years
• A member of the bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

What are the Attorney General’s authorities and responsibilities?

• Serves as chief law enforcement officer of Pennsylvania
• Represents the state and its agencies in action brought by or against them (e.g., Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election)
• Collects all debts, taxes, and accounts due to the state that have been referred to the office
• Administer the provisions relating to consumer protection laws
• Represent the Commonwealth and its citizens in any action brought about for violation of the antitrust laws of the United States
• Serves as a member of boards and commission, including crime and delinquency, pardons, finance and revenue, emergency management, police officer education and training, and an organized crime enforcement network

The Attorney General presides over four divisions and is served by a staff of several hundred prosecutors, attorneys, investigators, agents and support staff in offices across the state.

• Criminal Law Division: is responsible for investigating drug trafficking, child predators, organized crime, public corruption, insurance fraud and other criminal violations. This division also handles criminal cases referred to the Office of Attorney General by Pennsylvania’s 67 District Attorneys or various other government agencies. More about the Criminal Law Division
• Public Protection Division: safeguards the personal rights of the citizens of Pennsylvania and protects the public interest. The Public Protection Division handles consumer complaints through the Bureau of Consumer Protection and the Health Care Section, oversees Tobacco enforcement, Charitable Trusts and Organizations, Antitrust actions and Civil Rights Enforcement. More about the Public Protection Division
• The Civil Law Division: defends the constitutionality of Pennsylvania law, represents Commonwealth agencies, defends the Commonwealth in tax appeals, collects delinquent taxes and other debts owed to the Commonwealth, handles or supervises various appeals and reviews Commonwealth contracts, regulations and bond issues for form and legality. More about the Civil Law Division
• Office of Public Engagement: prevents crime through outreach in communities across Pennsylvania. The office teaches young adults and parents about drug addiction and shows seniors how to avoid becoming the victim of a scam. Request a presentation and access resources from the office online. More about the Office of Public Engagement

Attorney General’s Office in the news: Defending voting rights, September 2021. Office of Attorney General filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, and Acting Secretary Veronica Degraffenreid, against Pennsylvania state senators Chris Dush and Jake Corman as well as the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee for their efforts to subpoena the personal identification information of nine million Pennsylvanians. Read the press release.
Final ruling on this case, PA Supreme Court, February 2024. The court, in a brief order, dismissed three appeals in the case, vacated a lower court order and said the subpoena became “unenforceable” when the state Legislature’s two-year session ended in 2022. Voter groups and the attorney general’s office had argued that some of the detailed election records it sought — such as the driver’s license numbers of 9 million registered voters — is barred from public disclosure by privacy laws. The state also argued that information Republicans had sought about election systems was barred from public disclosure by federal law.
Read the full AP News Report

How often is the Auditor General elected?
The Auditor General is elected for a 4-year term, and is limited to 2 terms.
Elected in Presidential Election years.
Election in 2024

What are the requirements to hold the office of Auditor General?
There are no specific qualifications for the Pennsylvania Auditor General.

What are the Auditor General’s responsibilities authority?

• Serves the people of Pennsylvania by improving government accountability, transparency, and the effective use of taxpayer dollars
• Responsible for using audits to ensure that all state money is spent legally and properly
• Checks the spending of public money by looking at whether it has been used ideally and for the purposes intended

What types of audits are done by the office of Auditor General?

• Financial Audits – to ensure the reliability of financial information on which much of the state government operates.
• Performance Audits – to gauge whether or not government programs and activities are meeting stated goals and objectives, and if tax dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively.
• Attestation Engagements – to provide users of financial or nonfinancial information with assurance to the reliability of the related subject matter or assertion, which includes examinations, reviews, or agreed-upon procedures (compliance) audit

Audits of state tax dollars by the Department of Auditor General include:

• Children and Youth Agencies
• Corporate tax returns
• Commonwealth basic financial statements
• District courts and county row offices
• Federal funds spent by the commonwealth
• Liquid fuels tax funds
• Municipal pension plans
• Performance of state programs
• State-owned facilities
• Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Associations

Auditor General’s Office in the news: Diversion of funds exposed. April 2019. Then Auditor General Eugene DePasquale (D) announced that his new audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) showed that the agency could be further along in repairing rough highways and fixing 2,829 structurally deficient bridges with the billions of dollars it has been forced to pay to the state police.
Read the article from Penn Live Patriot News.

How often is the Treasurer elected?
The Treasurer is elected for a 4-year term, and is limited to 2 terms.
Elected in Presidential Election years.
Election in 2024

What are the requirements to hold the office of Treasurer?

• There are no specific qualifications for this office.
• The State Treasurer shall not be eligible to the office of Auditor General until four years after he/she has been State Treasurer.

What are the Treasurer’s responsibilities authority?

The Treasurer is the custodian of more than $100 billion in Commonwealth funds

Responsible for:

• receipt and deposit of state monies, investment management and oversight of all withdrawals and deposits from state agencies
• reuniting unclaimed property with its rightful owner
• investigating loss, theft, and fraud involving commonwealth checks
• reviewing real estate leases and contracts entered into by commonwealth agencies
• maintaining the Pennsylvania contracts electronic library
• serves as Chair of the Board of Finance and Revenue, which selects banks to serve as depositories for state money
• sets interest rates paid on commonwealth deposits
• hears and decides state tax appeals

Treasury Department in the news: Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced that the Pennsylvania Treasury Department is investing an additional $20 million in Israel bonds, October, 12, 2023. The Pennsylvania Treasury Department currently has nearly $36 million worth of Israel bonds; this new investment will bring that total to about $56 million. The Commonwealth has invested in Israel bonds for more than 30 years.
Treasury Department Press Release
Treasurer Stacy Garrity’s decision to invest more Pa. money in Israel Bonds draws protest, Democratic opposition, February 15, 2024. “Garrity announced a few days after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that she purchased an additional $20 million in Israel Bonds — an investment security that is backed by the country’s government and pitched as one of the ‘greatest opportunities to express support for the State of Israel.’”
Read the full report from Spotlight PA.

Pennsylvania’s governor has the authority to appoint officials to serve as the heads of statewide executive agencies, such as the Secretaries of Education and Agriculture, the state Insurance Commissioner, Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner, and more.
Article with general information about cabinet secretaries in Pennsylvania, Penn Capital Star

Oversees 500 public school districts, more than 170 public charter schools, public cyber charter schools, Career and Technology Centers/Vocational Technical schools, public Intermediate Units, the education of youth in State Juvenile Correctional Institutions, Head Starts and publicly funded preschools, and community colleges.
More information about the Department of Education>About

Encourages, protects and promotes agriculture and related industries throughout the commonwealth while providing consumer protection through inspection services that impact the health and financial security of Pennsylvania’s citizens.
More information about the Department of Agriculture>About

Regulates the Commonwealth’s insurance marketplace*, oversees licensed agents and insurance professionals, monitors the finances of companies doing business in Pennsylvania, educates consumers, and ensures residents are treated fairly.
Administers Catastrophic Loss Benefits Continuation Fund, Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund (MCARE), Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund (USTIF), Workers’ Compensation Security Fund.
More information about the Insurance Department

*Pennie.com is the official health insurance marketplace for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority is the state‑affiliated entity that operates the online marketplace known as Pennie.

Established on July 1, 1995, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is charged with:

• Maintaining and protecting 124 state parks
• Managing 2.2 million acres of state forest land
• Providing information on the state’s ecological and geologic resources
• Establishing community conservation partnerships with grants and technical assistance to benefit rivers, trails, greenways, local parks and recreation, regional heritage parks, open space, and natural areas.

DCNR Bureaus

• Bureau of State Parks
• Bureau of Forestry
• Bureau of Recreation and Conservation
• Bureau of Geological Survey
• Bureau of Facility Design and Construction
• Administrative Services

More information about the DCNR>About

Oversees

• Unemployment Compensation
• Workers’ Compensation Services
• Occupational and Industrial Safety
• Job Search and Career Training Services
• Labor Law File a complaint

More information about the Department of Labor & Industry

Governor Shapiro’s Cabinet Members