Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Flag of Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Austin Davis
since January 17, 2023
ResidenceState House
Term lengthFour years, renewable once consecutively
Inaugural holderJohn Latta
Formation1873
Salary$157,765 (2014)[1]
Websiteltgovernor.state.pa.us

The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutenant governor independently of the gubernatorial primary. The winners of the party primaries are then teamed together as a single ticket for the fall general election.[2] The lieutenant governor presides in the Pennsylvania State Senate and is first in the line of succession to the governor; in the event the governor dies, resigns, or otherwise leaves office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.[3][4] The lieutenant governor casts tie breaking votes in the state senate.

The office of lieutenant governor was created by the Constitution of 1873. As with the governor's position, the Constitution of 1968 made lieutenant governors eligible to succeed themselves for one additional four-year term.[5] The position's only official duties are serving as president of the state senate and chairing the Board of Pardons and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council. Lieutenant governors often work on additional projects and have a full schedule of community and speaking events.[6]

Until 2019, Pennsylvania was the only state that provided an official residence, State House at Fort Indiantown Gap, for its lieutenant governor.[6] Constructed in 1940 and previously the governor's "summer residence", it became available for Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor in 1968 when the current governor's residence was completed in Harrisburg.[5] It was transferred to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs after legislation to do so passed in 2019.[7][8]

Austin Davis is the current lieutenant governor, having taken office on January 17, 2023.

  1. ^ Dawson, Mike (February 20, 2014). "Jay Paterno seeking election as Pa. lieutenant governor". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "Pennsylvania Election Process". The Morning Call. January 21, 2005. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  3. ^ "The Constitution of Pennsylvania: Article IV §13 — When Lieutenant Governor to act as Governor". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "The Constitution of Pennsylvania: Article IV §14 — Vacancy in office of Lieutenant Governor". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "RG-64, Records of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Agency History". Pennsylvania State Archives. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Walmer, Daniel (April 21, 2017). "Pa. has US's only Lt. Gov. mansion. Is it worth the cost?". Lebanon Daily News. Gannett. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  7. ^ Murphy, Jan (December 18, 2019). "Pa. lawmakers are looking to change the picking and the perks of future lieutenant governors". The Patriot-News. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  8. ^ White, Jaxon (December 30, 2023). "Shapiro purchased automatic dog door, massage sofa and big-screen TVs for Governor's Residence". LNP. Retrieved March 15, 2024 – via WESA. in 2019 the General Assembly gave the property at Fort Indiantown Gap to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs