The Executive Branch

The executive branch is headed by the governor who has powers similar to the president of the United States.

Unlike the federal government, however, the state has six independently elected officials that are responsible for different areas of the executive branch.

Each of the six are elected for four-year terms. The governor and state treasurer can serve for no more than two terms. The others can serve as long as they win election.

Except for the state auditor, the other five statewide elected offices are elected on the general election held in years the U.S. president is elected -- the years evenly divisible by the number four, such as 2016. The state auditor is elected in the non-presidential general election, such as 2014.

Statewide elected officials, except Supreme Court judges, can be removed by impeachment and subsequent conviction. Like Congress, removal starts with impeachment by the House. However, unlike the federal government in which conviction is decided U.S. Senate, in Missouri the conviction stage is conducted by the state Supreme Court.

Click on the links below to learn more about each of the statewide elected officials. The Missouri government officials elected statewide are:

Just like the federal government, Missouri has a number of departments that cover broad subject areas. Each department has various divisions and other types of agencies handling specific program areas. Some of these divisions are directly under the control of the department, others like the utility-regulating Public Service Commission, are independent.

Be careful in the name you use for an agency. Terms like "department," "division" and "bureau" have very specific meaning in government. There are just 15 top-level departments -- although one is not called a "department." Instead, it's called the Office of Administration.

Some departments are directly under the authority of the governor whose power to fire the department director gives the governor significant influence.

The state's constitution provides some departments with a degree of independence. These include the departments of Transportation, Education, Higher Education and Conservation. These departments are headed by a commission whose members cannot be removed by the governor.

Agencies adopt regulations to implement laws and establish programs. These regulations are just as important, and news worthy, as legislation that get so much more attention. Some agencies, like the Conservation Department, enjoy such a degree of indpendence that much of what they do are defined by regulations. And, in some cases, agencies use regulations to get around the legislature.

Once every two weeks, the Secretary of State publishes a list of regulations that have been proposed, comments to proposed regulations and regulations that have taken effect.

The Office of Administration maintains a list of state agency meetings that you can access from MDN at http://www.mdn.org/soameet.htm. Unfortunately, OA recently changed the format of the meeting notices to make them almost completely useless to reporters. No longer do the notices have an indication of the meeting agenda nor are there any links to where you could find agenda information.

Click one of the 16 departments listed below to see more information about the department or click to see all: The 16 departments are:

Agriculture

Website:	http://www.mda.mo.gov
Director:	Chris Chinn
Responsibilities:	Handles agriculture issues.

Conservation

Website:	http://mdc.mo.gov
Controlled by:	The Conservation Commission
Director	Sara Parker Pauley
Responsibilities:	Oversees state wildlife laws and conservation lands. Funded by hunt and fishing licenses as well as an ear-marked tax that makes the Conservation Department nearly independent of the governor and the legislature (except for nominations of commission members).

Corrections

Website:	http://www.doc.mo.gov
Director:	Anne Precythe
Responsibilities:	Operates the state's prisons for convicted felons.The Probation and Parole Board also is in the Corrections Department. It decides on whether to grant paroles for inmates and oversees probation services that keep track of convicted criminals on probation or parole. Be careful in terms when referring to prison facilities. The state does NOToperate jails. Jails are operated by local government for local and non-felony offenses as well as housing inmates arrested or held pending trial for state felony charges. Missouri's Corrections Department operates prisons. While jails can hold persons arrested but not yet convicted, prisons hold only persons convicted of felony offenses.

Website:

http://www.doc.mo.gov

Director:

Anne Precythe

Responsibilities:

Operates the state's prisons for convicted felons.The Probation and Parole Board also is in the Corrections Department. It decides on whether to grant paroles for inmates and oversees probation services that keep track of convicted criminals on probation or parole.

Be careful in terms when referring to prison facilities. The state does NOToperate jails. Jails are operated by local government for local and non-felony offenses as well as housing inmates arrested or held pending trial for state felony charges. Missouri's Corrections Department operates prisons.

While jails can hold persons arrested but not yet convicted, prisons hold only persons convicted of felony offenses.

Economic Development

Website:	http://www.mda.mo.gov
Acting Director:	Rob Dixon
Responsibilities:	Oversees a number of economic development programs that provide tax breaks to businesses. The department also is the home of the Public Service Commission that regulates utilities (including utility rates) and the Public Counsel who represents consumer interests in utility cases. The PSC and the public counsel are independent of the department director.

Elementary and Secondary Education

Website:	http://dese.mo.gov
Controlled by:	The Board of Education
Commissioner:	Margie Vandeven
Responsibilities:	Administers regulations over state schools and distribution of state funds to schools. Major news issues involving the department is the Education Board's power to strip school districts accredition (it's happened with a few urban districts), teaching standards and public-school alternatives such as virtual education and charter schools. Be careful with titles. The top administrator of the Education Department is not a director. Instead, it is commissioner. The department is controlled by the Education Board, not a school board. School boards oversee local schools.

Health and Senior Services

Website:	http://www.health.mo.gov
Director:	Randall Williams
Responsibilities:	Administers a number of programs involving health and services for the elderly. It regulates licensing of hospitals. The department as a state epidemologist who is responsible for tracking infectious diseases in the state. That person had been a major source for reporters. Unfortunately, under the prior governor, access to medical experts within the department had been blocked. There are three health-related areas that are not under the Health Department: Medicaid: a program that covers some health-care costs for middle and lower income -- is under the Social Services Department. Medicare: a program that covers some health-care costs for all persons 65 years or older and permanently disabled. Medicare is a entirely federal program over which the state has no role. Mental health: hospitals operated by the state and various mental health programs are managed by a seperate Mental Health Department.

Website:

http://www.health.mo.gov

Director:

Randall Williams

Responsibilities:

Administers a number of programs involving health and services for the elderly. It regulates licensing of hospitals.

The department as a state epidemologist who is responsible for tracking infectious diseases in the state. That person had been a major source for reporters. Unfortunately, under the prior governor, access to medical experts within the department had been blocked.

There are three health-related areas that are not under the Health Department:

Medicaid: a program that covers some health-care costs for middle and lower income -- is under the Social Services Department.
Medicare: a program that covers some health-care costs for all persons 65 years or older and permanently disabled. Medicare is a entirely federal program over which the state has no role.
Mental health: hospitals operated by the state and various mental health programs are managed by a seperate Mental Health Department.

Higher Education

Website:	http://dhe.mo.gov
Controlled by:	The Coordinating Board for Higher Education
Commissioner:	Zora Mulligan
Responsibilities:	Since state law grants extensive powers of independence to the various state universities, the Higher Education Coordinating Board has limited powers. Be careful with the title of the administrative head of this department. Russell is a commissoner, NOT a director.

Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration

Website:	http://www.difp.mo.gov
Director:	Chlora Lindley-Myers
Responsibilities:	This department contains a hodgepodge of agencies governing the insurance industry, financial institutions, and professional regulatory boards (such as boards governing doctors, barbers, athletic trainers, landscape architects, etc.). The seperate professional licensing boards can be occasional sources of news. The new federal health care law makes the Insurance Division a potential major source of news. There is a Consumer Affairs Division, but unlike past years, it has generated little news in recent news.

Website:

http://www.difp.mo.gov

Director:

Chlora Lindley-Myers

Responsibilities:

This department contains a hodgepodge of agencies governing the insurance industry, financial institutions, and professional regulatory boards (such as boards governing doctors, barbers, athletic trainers, landscape architects, etc.).

The seperate professional licensing boards can be occasional sources of news. The new federal health care law makes the Insurance Division a potential major source of news.

There is a Consumer Affairs Division, but unlike past years, it has generated little news in recent news.

Labor and Industrial Relations

Website:	http://www.labor.mo.gov
Director:	Anna Hui
Responsibilities:	Administers various programs involving employment including compensation for the unemployed (Unemployment Compensation), injured workers (Workers' Compensation) and reinjured workers (the Second Injury Fund). The programs of this department have been a major source of news in recent years. With a GOP majority in the legislature, businesses have increased pressure on the General Assembly to scale back coverage of programs financed by fees on business.

Website:

http://www.labor.mo.gov

Director:

Anna Hui

Responsibilities:

Administers various programs involving employment including compensation for the unemployed (Unemployment Compensation), injured workers (Workers' Compensation) and reinjured workers (the Second Injury Fund).

The programs of this department have been a major source of news in recent years. With a GOP majority in the legislature, businesses have increased pressure on the General Assembly to scale back coverage of programs financed by fees on business.

Mental Health

Website:	http://www.dmh.mo.gov
Controlled by:	The Mental Health Commission
Director:	Mark Stringer
Responsibilities:	The Mental Health Department operates a number of hospitals and other facilities to provide services and hospitals for the mentally ill. The department also operates a facility in Fulton that houses persons found not guilty of criminal charges for reasons of mental illness. The Fulton hospital, by the way, is the oldest mental health facility west of the Mississippi River.

Natural Resources

Website:	http://www.dnr.mo.gov
Director:	Carol Comer
Responsibilities:	Several environmental-protection agencies are located in DNR including agencies that regulate water quality, air pollution and the safety of lake dams. The department also operates Missouri's state parks and historic sites.

Office of Administration

Website:	http://www.oa.mo.gov
Commissioner:	Sarah Steelman
Responsibilities:	This department has several administrative support agencies that serve state government including the state's accounting division, facilities management, computer and telephone support, purchasing and affirmative action. The department also includes the Division of Budget and Planning which is headed by the person who effectively serves as the governor's budget director and principle budget advisor. Note, this is the only department-level agency that does not have the word "department" in its name. Also, the head of this department is a commissioner, NOT a director. The current commissioner, Sarah Steelman, is a former state senator and state treasurer.

Website:

http://www.oa.mo.gov

Commissioner:

Sarah Steelman

Responsibilities:

This department has several administrative support agencies that serve state government including the state's accounting division, facilities management, computer and telephone support, purchasing and affirmative action.

The department also includes the Division of Budget and Planning which is headed by the person who effectively serves as the governor's budget director and principle budget advisor.

Note, this is the only department-level agency that does not have the word "department" in its name. Also, the head of this department is a commissioner, NOT a director. The current commissioner, Sarah Steelman, is a former state senator and state treasurer.

Public Safety

Website:	http://www.dps.mo.gov
Director:	Charles Juden
Responsibilities:	The department, itself, is not a major source of news. But within the department are agencies that do generate major news including the Missouri Highway Patrol and the National Guard. The National Guard is the go-to source for reporters covering natural disasters like floods. It also is the agency responsible for coordinating innaugurations. The Highway Patrol's responsibilities extend far beyond highways. It effectively is the state's main law enforcement agency and is a source for a tremendous about of data on crime statistics in the state.

Website:

http://www.dps.mo.gov

Director:

Charles Juden

Responsibilities:

The department, itself, is not a major source of news. But within the department are agencies that do generate major news including the Missouri Highway Patrol and the National Guard.

The National Guard is the go-to source for reporters covering natural disasters like floods. It also is the agency responsible for coordinating innaugurations.

The Highway Patrol's responsibilities extend far beyond highways. It effectively is the state's main law enforcement agency and is a source for a tremendous about of data on crime statistics in the state.

Revenue

Website:	http://www.dor.mo.gov
Director:	Joel Walters
Responsibilities:	This is the agency that collects state taxes and issues driving licenses and licenses for motor vehicles and boats. Major issues for the department include how quickly the department sends out tax refunds after the tax year, implementation of federally rerecognized REAL ID driving licenses and cost-free photo IDs to vote for those without government-issued photo IDs like driving licenses.

Social Services

Website:	http://www.dss.mo.gov
Acting Director:	Steve Corsi
Responsibilities:	The department administers the state's welfare programs for the lower income -- the largest of which is Medicaid (not to be confused federally run Medicare for elderly persons) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. A few years back, Missouri's legislature renamed Medicaid "MO HealthNet." But since the federal government provides the bulk of the funds for the program under the name Medicaid (and that's the name the general public understands), reporters tend to use the term Medicaid. The Division of Youth Services, which operates facilities housing juvenile offenders, also is located in the Social Services Department.

Website:

http://www.dss.mo.gov

Acting Director:

Steve Corsi

Responsibilities:

The department administers the state's welfare programs for the lower income -- the largest of which is Medicaid (not to be confused federally run Medicare for elderly persons) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

A few years back, Missouri's legislature renamed Medicaid "MO HealthNet." But since the federal government provides the bulk of the funds for the program under the name Medicaid (and that's the name the general public understands), reporters tend to use the term Medicaid.

The Division of Youth Services, which operates facilities housing juvenile offenders, also is located in the Social Services Department.

Transportation

Website:	http://www.modot.mo.gov
Controlled by:	The Transportation Commission
Director:	Patrick McKenna
Chief Engineer:	Ed Hassinger
Responsibilities:	The Transportation Department oversees state highways and provides a bit of funding for other transportation services. Because it is financed by earmarked taxes (like the gas tax) and is administered by a commission, the department is relatively independent of the governor and the legislature. Fund problems for road maintenance have been a major problem. A few years back, the Transportation Commission abandoned full maintenance of a major portion of lesser-used state highways because of insufficient funds. In recent years Missouri voters rejected toll roads and more recently rejected raising taxes for highway maintenance or expansion. Neither the governor nor the commission itself has proposed a detailed plan to deal with the financial crisis.