The governor of New York is Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who became the state’s 57th governor on August 24, 2021, and the first woman to hold the office.1National Governors Association. Kathy Hochul The governor leads the executive branch from Albany, signs or vetoes legislation, submits the annual state budget, appoints agency heads, commands New York’s military forces, and holds the power to grant pardons. The job pays $250,000 a year and comes with no term limits.
Who Kathy Hochul Is
Hochul took over after the resignation of Andrew Cuomo. She had served as lieutenant governor since 2015, chairing the state’s Regional Economic Development Councils and co-chairing task forces on opioids and child care availability.1National Governors Association. Kathy Hochul
Before that, her career moved through a local town board in Erie County, the Erie County Clerk’s office, and the U.S. House of Representatives, where she represented New York’s 26th Congressional District.2New York State. Governor Kathy Hochul That mix of local, federal, and state experience is unusual for someone reaching the office.
What the Governor Does
The office carries authority across legislation, spending, appointments, the military, emergencies, and criminal justice. Some powers come directly from the state constitution, others from statute. In practice, the budget is where most of the real leverage sits.
Setting the State Budget
Article VII, Section 2 of the constitution requires the governor to send a complete spending plan to the legislature each year. In the year after a gubernatorial election, the deadline is February 1. In other years it is the second Tuesday after the legislature convenes.3Justia. New York Constitution Article VII Section 2 – Executive Budget The plan must lay out proposed expenditures, estimated revenues, and the reasoning behind them, and the governor may recommend the legislation needed to fund it. Lawmakers can add items, but the governor frames every fiscal fight from the outset.
Signing and Vetoing Bills
Every bill that clears the Senate and Assembly goes to the governor’s desk. The governor can sign it, let it become law without a signature after ten days (excluding Sundays), or veto it by returning it with written objections. Once the legislature adjourns for the year, the governor has thirty days to act on remaining bills; anything left unsigned dies, which is known as a pocket veto.4Justia. New York Constitution Article IV Section 7 – Action by Governor on Legislative Bills
On appropriation bills, the governor can strike individual spending items while signing the rest into law. The legislature can override any veto, including a line-item veto, but it takes a two-thirds vote of the elected members in both chambers.4Justia. New York Constitution Article IV Section 7 – Action by Governor on Legislative Bills
Appointing Agency Heads and Judges
The governor names the heads of most state agencies and fills judicial vacancies. Article IV, Section 3 directs the governor to “take care that the laws are faithfully executed,” and appointments are the main tool for doing so.5Justia. New York Constitution Article IV Section 3 – Powers and Duties of Governor; Compensation Many senior appointments require confirmation by the State Senate.
Commanding the National Guard
The constitution names the governor commander-in-chief of the state’s military and naval forces.5Justia. New York Constitution Article IV Section 3 – Powers and Duties of Governor; Compensation That covers the New York National Guard and the New York Naval Militia. When Guard members serve under Title 32 of the U.S. Code, they stay under the governor’s command even though their pay comes from the federal government.6National Guard Bureau. National Guard Duty Statuses The governor activates these forces during state emergencies, natural disasters, and civil disturbances.
Acting in Emergencies
Under Section 29-a of the Executive Law, a declared state disaster emergency lets the governor temporarily suspend specific provisions of any statute, local law, ordinance, or regulation if compliance would prevent, hinder, or delay disaster response. Each suspension lasts up to thirty days and may be renewed for additional thirty-day periods.7New York State Senate. New York Executive Law EXC 29-A – Suspension of Other Laws
The power has limits. Each suspension order must specify exactly which law is being set aside and why, the deviation from normal law must be the minimum necessary, and the legislature can terminate any emergency executive order at any time through a concurrent resolution.7New York State Senate. New York Executive Law EXC 29-A – Suspension of Other Laws
Granting Pardons and Clemency
Article IV, Section 4 gives the governor the power to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons for all crimes after conviction, with two exceptions: treason and impeachment. The governor can attach conditions and restrictions.8Justia. New York Constitution Article IV Section 4 – Reprieves, Commutations and Pardons For a treason conviction, the governor may only suspend the sentence and report it to the legislature, which then decides whether to pardon, commute, carry out the sentence, or grant a further reprieve.
Qualifications and Terms
Article IV, Section 2 of the state constitution sets three requirements to run for governor. A candidate must be a U.S. citizen, at least thirty years old, and a resident of New York for at least five consecutive years immediately before the election.9New York State Department of State. New York State Constitution The governor and lieutenant governor run on a joint ticket and serve four-year terms, with elections held in even-numbered, non-presidential years.
New York places no cap on the number of terms a governor can serve. An incumbent can run for reelection indefinitely, which separates New York from most states that limit governors to two consecutive terms or two terms total.10Ballotpedia. Governor of New York
What Happens If the Governor Can’t Serve
If the governor dies, resigns, or is removed, the lieutenant governor takes over for the remainder of the term. When the governor is temporarily out of state or unable to serve, the lieutenant governor acts as governor until the governor returns or recovers.9New York State Department of State. New York State Constitution
If both are unable to serve, the Temporary President of the Senate is next in line, followed by the Speaker of the Assembly.9New York State Department of State. New York State Constitution Hochul’s own arrival in the office, following Cuomo’s resignation, is the most recent example of how this succession works in practice.