New York Resources

The executive power of the State is vested in the governor, who shall hold office for four years, according to Article IV, § 1 of the New York State Constitution. The governor and lieutenant-governor shall be chosen jointly through a general election held every four years.

Powers and duties of the governor:

• Convenes the legislature and submits a proposed budget for the following fiscal year to the legislature
• Communicates by message to the legislature at every session the condition of the State
• Considers, approves or vetoes, each bill passed by the legislature
• Serves as commander-in-chief of the military and naval forces of the State

In case of the removal of the governor from office or of his or her death or resignation, the lieutenant-governor becomes governor for the remainder of the term.

The website of the Office of the Governor includes important documents such as the annual budget address and the State of the State address, both delivered in January each year. Additional materials from the governor's office, such as executive orders, are discussed below in part 4 of this section.

Archived versions of former governor's websites have been saved by the New York State Archives.

Executive orders are issued by the governor to direct or instruct the actions of executive agencies or government officials. For example, Governor George Pataki's Executive Order No. 131 established the New York State Commission on Education Reform, and Executive Order No. 202 by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo declared a disaster emergency for the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executive orders issued since 1960 are published in the the New York State Register and are cumulated in the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR) Title 9, Subtitle A, Chapter I. The executive orders for each governor appears as separate Parts within Chapter I.

Executive orders issued before 1960 are included in compilations of the public papers of the governors.

Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR): Orders are found in Title 9, Subtitle A, Chapter I.

• In print at Law Library, Call Number State 1st Floor and Closed Stacks KFN5030 1960 .A2 (canceled in Law Library)
• In print at Library of Congress.

NY - New York Codes, Rules and Regulations on Lexis: Orders are found in Title 9, Subtitle A, Chapter I.

New York Regulations on Westlaw: Orders are found in Title 9, Subtitle A, Chapter I.

New York Codes, Rules and Regulations on Bloomberg Law: Orders are found in Title 9, Subtitle A, Chapter I.

Public Papers of the Governors:

• New York State Library: On their catalog, search for "Public Papers of Governor [First Name Last Name]"
• State University of New York at Buffalo Law Library: On their catalog, search of "Public Papers of Governor [First Name Last Name]"
• New York Public Library: On their catalog, search of "Public Papers of Governor [First Name Last Name]"

Georgetown Law Library's Public Papers of the Governors:

• Public Papers of Levi P. Morton, Governor, 1895
• Public Papers of Theodore Roosevelt, Governor, 1899
• Public Papers of John A. Dix, Governor, 1911
• Public papers of Herbert H. Lehman, 49th Governor of the State of New York, 1933-[1942]

Other historical New York executive documents on LLMC Digital.

Research Guides & Resources

• New York City: Research and History: Researching NYC (John Jay C. Crim. Just. Libr.)
• Government Information and Resources: New York City (N.Y. Pub. Libr.)
• Municipal Archives of the N.Y.C. Records & Information Services: Collects administrative records and organizes them by agency, including the mayor's office. The Municipal Archives offers Finding Aids to the Mayoral Collection. A list of Mayors of the City of New York is offered by the Citywide Administrative Services.