HIGH SCHOOL CIVICS  Part Three: What all these departments do The Tennessee Department of Transportation builds highways, like this one. PHOTO: Tennessee Department of Transportation We're going to give simple explanations of what state government departments do. Note the use of the word "simple." The summaries here are inadequate, but they give you a good starting point. If you want a more detailed explanation, click on the link to be taken to each department's web page. Keep in mind that each department is headed up by a commissioner, and all the commissioners make up the governor's cabinet. First the easy ones: * The Department of Education administers K through 12 schools. * The Department of Correction runs the prison system. * The Department of Transportation builds and maintains roads. * The Department of Revenue collects taxes. * The Department of Safety employs all the state troopers. That wasn't so hard, was it? Now it gets a little more complicated: * The Department of Environment and Conservation enforces environmental regulations and runs state parks. * The Department of Health enforces health regulations. This farm in Dickson County deals with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. * The Department of Agriculture enforces agricultural regulations and administers state forests (which are different than state parks). * The Department of Labor and Workforce Development enforces labor laws and operates programs that train Tennessee workers. * The Department of Tourism Development encourages people to visit Tennessee. There are actually nine other departments of state government, but we're not going to go over those because we think your brain is full. Believe us: if you know the ten state government departments listed above, you'll know far more than most adults. By the way, state government doesn't have to be organized this way. Over the years the number of government departments has greatly increased; in 1939 state government had only ten departments, and governors are frequently merging departments and creating new ones. When one of you becomes governor in a few years, no doubt you won't be able to resist the urge to rearrange things. Before we move on, let's answer an important question: Why are different state government departments needed to enforce different kinds of laws? Why can't the state troopers and your local police take care of that by themselves? This limestone quarry is the type of business that would have to get environmental permits to operate. Because the world is too complicated. Let's take environmental regulations, for example. To protect streams and rivers from pollution, there are state laws restricting the quality of water that a company discharges from a pipe that runs off its property. These regulations are enforced in two ways: One, the company has to get a discharge permit that allows them to operate, and, two, the state sends inspectors to make sure that the water leaving the company's property meets environmental regulations. This is a completely different kind of law enforcement than arresting people for murder or for speeding. It requires specialists, often with a college degree in that field, and a special department. Regulations from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development are usually posted on bulletin boards of large companies such as this one. The same rule applies to health regulations (enforced by the Department of Health), agricultural regulations (enforced by the Department of Agriculture), and labor laws (enforced by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development). So now we're really learning about state government. Pat yourself on the back, because this is pretty heavy stuff. This whole time, we've been talking about the executive branch of government, the one presided over by the governor. Now we're going to shift to the legislative branch. Click here to move on.