• Baton Rouge is the seat of Louisiana's state government.Louisiana state contour against blurred USA flag image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
  
  The citizens of Louisiana adopted the current Louisiana State Constitution in 1974. This document ensures the rights of individuals in the state and describes the distribution of power among the state and local governments. It enumerates the duties and powers of Louisiana governors and outlines the qualifications necessary to serve in this office. Governors serve four-year terms, with a limitation of two consecutive terms. They must be at least 25 years of age and a resident of the United States and Louisiana for the five years preceding the election.
  
  

Chief Executive Officer

• The main role of the governor includes supporting the Constitutions and laws of Louisiana and the United States and ensuring that all laws are executed. The governor is the chief executive officer of the 20 departments responsible for the administration and enforcement of state laws on a daily basis. The Louisiana Constitution sets the number of executive departments.
  
  

Appointment and Removal Power

• The governor has the power to appoint the head of each executive department whose election is not prescribed by the Louisiana Constitution, subject to confirmation by the Louisiana Senate. The governor may make interim appointments if the legislature is not in session. However, when the legislature convenes for its next regular session, the Senate must confirm the appointee. The governor may also remove any person he appoints from office, unless the term of office is fixed by constitution or law.
  
  

Submit Reports to the Legislature

• The governor is responsible for preparing and submitting two budgets to the legislature each year: a fiscal-year operating budget and a five-year capital outlay program. The governor also must make reports and recommendations concerning the affairs of state to the legislature at the beginning of each legislative session.
  
  

Call Legislative Special Sessions

• The Louisiana Constitution requires the legislature to meet each year. In even-numbered years, it meets for no longer than 60 legislative days. In odd-numbered years, the legislature convenes for no longer than 45 legislative days. However, if the legislature is not currently meeting, the governor may call it into a special session to consider specific items, which he outlines in a proclamation. This decree also specifies the number of days that the legislature may meet. During these special sessions, the legislature can only consider those items outlined by the governor.
  
  

Veto Power

• The governor of Louisiana has the power to veto bills passed by the state legislature. In addition, he has the line item veto power on appropriations bills. The line item veto gives the governor the option to veto any individual item in an appropriations bill. This power is necessary because the Louisiana Constitution states that the total expenditures in an appropriations bill may not exceed the anticipated revenue for that year.
  
  

Judicial Power

• The governor serves as the court of last resort in the Louisiana judicial system. He has the right to commute sentences, issue pardons, grant reprieves, and return fines and forfeitures for persons convicted of crimes against the state. Reprieves simply delay the imposition of a sentence, while a commutation reduces the sentence. A pardon is a full release from a sentence.
  
  

Commander-in-Chief

• Except when they are called into federal service, the governor of Louisiana serves as the commander-in-chief of the Louisiana National Guard. He has the power to activate these forces to preserve law and order, repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or in other times of state emergencies. Due to the state's geography, Louisiana's military forces are typically called upon to assist residents during times of flood and hurricanes. During these times, the governor issues a state of emergency and activates the Guard.