Executive Branch
The Local Executive Branch
Summary
The Local Executive Branch
Governor
John Bell Edwards
By the date of qualification, the candidate shall have attained the age of 25 years, be an elector, and have been a citizen of the United States and of Louisiana for at least the preceding 5 years. A person who has served as governor for more than one and one-half terms in two consecutive terms shall not be elected governor for the succeeding term.
State Elected Officials
Lieutenant Governor
Secretary of State
Attorney General
Jeff Landry, the Attorney General, heads the Department of Justice and is the state’s chief legal officer. The responsibility of the Attorney General is to protect the rights and interests of the state. He or she has the authority to intervene in any civil action in which the state has an interest.
Treasurer
John Neely Kennedy, the Treasure, heads the Department of the Treasury and is the custodian of state funds. The Treasurer disburses public money as required by law and keeps a record of the money received and disbursed. The Treasurer serves as the state’s banker and invests funds in the treasury that are not currently needed in the state’s operations.
Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry
Dr. Mike Strain, the commissioner of agriculture and forestry, heads the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and is responsible for the promotion, protection, and advancement of agriculture and forestry.
James J. Donelon
District Elected Officials
District Elected Officials
Each Louisiana voter is directly represented by a member of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the BESE Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).
The PSC consists of five members elected from single-member districts. The most important function of the PSC is its power to set rates that consumers may be charged by public utilities such as electric, telephone, natural gas, and water companies and by common carriers such as trucking, bus, and taxi companies.
Department of Civil Service
Department of Civil Service
These and other measures increased the professionalism of the civil service and reduced the influence of politics on personnel decisions. Critics of the civil service system, in Louisiana and elsewhere, argue that the elaborate rules and procedures developed to insulate it from political pressures also limit the flexibility and initiative of executive branch agencies.
To address these criticisms, the Department of Civil Service has been working to give state agencies more flexibility in hiring and in setting pay.
Officers
Officers
These officers are the assistant secretaries of the office of the state library and the office of the state museum of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, and the office of conservation of the Department of Natural Resources, respectively.
Appointed Boards and Commissions
Executive Departments and Their Duties
The state’s numerous Boards and Commissions have been given responsibility for a great number of programs. Some are purely advisory boards while some are management boards. Still others are quite independent.
Executive Departments and Their Duties
22 Executive Departments and Their Duties
- Division of Administration
DOA, a division serving under the Governor, is the central management and administrative support agency for the State.
- Department of Agriculture and Forestry
LDAF, a department serving under the commissioner of agriculture, an elected official, is responsible for the development and growth of markets for Louisiana agricultural products.
- Department of Children and Family Services
DCFS, a department directly under the governor and civil service, provides social services programs, such as the food stamp program, child welfare, and other public assistance programs.
- Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
DCRT, a department directly under the lieutenant governor and civil service, is responsible for state parks and recreation and tourism development.
- Department of Economic Development
LED, a department directly under the governor and civil service, is charged with the overall improvement of Louisiana’s economy.
- Department of Education
DOE, a department serves under the governor-appointed superintendent of education.
- Department of Environmental Quality
DEQ, a department directly under the governor and civil service, is charged with the administration and and enforcement of environmental laws to ensure a healthful and safe environment.
- Department of Health and Hospitals
DHH, a department directly under the governor and civil service, maintains health and medical services for disease prevention.
- Department of Insurance
LDI, a department serving under the commissioner of insurance, an elected official, regulates insurance rates.
- Department of Justice
The Department of Justice serves under the state's attorney general, an elected official.
- Louisiana Workforce Commission
The Louisiana Workforce Commission, a commission directly under the governor and civil service, has programs to protect well-being of state’s workforce.
- Department of Natural Resources
DNR, a department directly under the governor and civil service, helps with the conservation, regulation, and development of state natural resources (except timber, fish, and wildlife, which are designated to the Department of WildLife and Fisheries).
- Department of Public Safety and Corrections
The Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections are directly under the governor and civil service, houses the state police, state property security, and gaming control, whose responsibilities include the enforcement of criminal and traffic laws and weights and standards.
- Department Public Service
PSC, the Public Service Commission, comprises the Department of Public Service and is divided into five districts, each headed by a commissioner whom is a locally-elected official.
- Department of Revenue
LDR, a department directly under the governor and civil service, ensures the assessment, evaluation, and collection of state taxes.
- Department of State
SOS, the office of the secretary of state whom is an elected official, comprises the Department of State.
- Department of State Civil Service
DSCS, a department directly under the governor and civil service, is responsible for processing many state jobs.
- Department of Transportation and Development
DOTD, a department directly under the governor and civil service, is generally responsible for transportation within the state: airports, highways, bridges, railroads, waterways, intermodal transportation, public transportation, and mass transit. Public works and flood and drainage control also fall under DOTD's control.
- Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury serves under the state treasurer, an elected official.
- Department of Veterans Affairs
VA, a department directly under the governor and civil service, staffs the functions of the state's veterans service offices.
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
LDWF, a department directly under the governor and civil service, sponsors programs related to wildlife and fish, including research and replenishment.