MIDDLE SCHOOL CIVICS Part Six: A day in the life of Governor Bredesen The governor presides over a meeting. PHOTO: Office of Governor Phil Bredesen Since some of you might be planning to run for governor one day, we thought we'd take this opportunity to tell you a little about what the job entails. If you spent an entire day with Governor Bredesen, here are some of the things you'd see him do: * Preside over cabinet meetings. Governor Bredesen regularly meets with the heads of the 19 departments of state government. These meetings give them a chance to tell him what is happening in their department, and they give him a chance to give them his directives and feedback. * Get his proposals and his budget ready. Every January the governor proposes a budget that the legislature must approve before the end of its session. This is something he must do. Historically, the governor also proposes several new laws, many of which are minor in nature but are needed as a part of his proposals. This budget, and these bills, must be written with care. * Meet with state legislators. When the legislature is in session, Governor Bredesen frequently meets with individual legislators, or groups of legislators, to talk about a bill or a project of special interest to them. * Follow the progress of the legislature. The governor keeps close tabs on what the House of Representatives and Senate are doing, and he has full-time staff people who report to him every day when the General Assembly is in session. Remember that every single bill that the legislature passes comes to the governor's desk for him to sign, veto, or allow to become law without his signature. The more he knows about these bills before they pass, the more he'll know when they get to his desk. Governor Bredesen makes an appearance at a fish fry in Paris, Tennessee. PHOTO: Office of Governor Phil Bredesen * Travel the state and make speeches. It's a long way from Mountain City to Memphis, and it is important that the governor make as much personal contact as possible. So he frequently makes speeches at lunch clubs, at public schools, you name it. * Keep up with the news. The governor needs to have some idea what is said about him and his administration, which means that there are hundreds of publications, radio stations, and television stations that he needs to keep up with. In fact, the governor's office subscribes to just about every newspaper in the state, and someone on his staff literally clips important articles for him to read every day. The governor also receives a daily electronic news summary of all the articles on state government that appear in major newspapers and on television station websites. * Give out awards, pose for pictures, etc. There are many demands on the governor's time Enough of all this political stuff! Let's talk about donkeys and elephants! Click here.