Government of Pennsylvania

The Government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the way the state of Pennsylvania is run. It is set up by the Pennsylvania Constitution. This government has three main parts: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches. Each branch has its own job to help run the state.

The executive branch is led by the governor, who is the main leader of the state. The legislative branch makes the laws, and it is called the General Assembly. The judicial branch makes sure the laws are followed fairly, with judges and courts handling this work.

The capital city of Pennsylvania, where much of the government work happens, is Harrisburg. This city is important because it is where the governor and many government offices are located. The government of Pennsylvania works to take care of the people living in the state and to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Executive branch

Pennsylvania has several important leaders who help run the state. These leaders are chosen by voters and serve for four years, and they can be re-elected once.

Some of these leaders include:

Josh Shapiro as Governor
Austin Davis as Lieutenant Governor
Dave Sunday as Attorney General
Timothy DeFoor as Auditor General
Stacy Garrity as State Treasurer

The Health and Welfare Building within the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex

These leaders work together with many departments that take care of different jobs, like helping families, keeping people safe, and managing money. Each department has a director who works closely with the Governor.

The departments include:

Legislature

Main article: Pennsylvania General Assembly

The Pennsylvania State Capitol

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the group of people who make laws for Pennsylvania. It has two parts: the House of Representatives with 203 members and the Senate with 50 members. The leader of the House is called the speaker, and the leader of the Senate is the lieutenant governor. They meet in the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg to discuss and create new laws.

Judicial branch

Main article: Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Judicial Center within the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex

Pennsylvania has 60 judicial districts. Most of these districts, except Philadelphia, have special judges who handle smaller legal problems and simple cases. These judges also decide if there is enough evidence to continue with bigger criminal cases.

Most big legal cases start in the courts of common pleas. These courts also review decisions made by smaller judges and local agencies. The Superior Court listens to appeals from the courts of common pleas, unless the case is supposed to go to the Commonwealth Court or the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Court deals with appeals from certain state agencies and some special cases from the courts of common pleas. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the state.

All judges in Pennsylvania are chosen by voters. The chief justice is the judge with the most experience. Judges serve for 10 years and then must ask voters if they can keep their jobs.

Local government

Main article: Local government in Pennsylvania

Local government in Pennsylvania includes five types: county, township, borough, city, and school district. The whole state is divided into 67 counties, and each county contains many smaller areas called municipalities. These local areas follow rules set by the state or their own special plans approved by the state.

In 1935, Pennsylvania created a group called the Local Government Commission to help state leaders understand local issues. This group is made up of members from the State Senate and House of Representatives.

Law enforcement

In Pennsylvania, there are no county sheriffs that patrol areas without local police. Some towns choose to create their own police departments to have faster response times, specific patrols, or to enforce local rules. Others might only have part-time police and rely on the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) for the rest of their needs, or they might use only the PSP. Any town can decide not to have its own police department and just use the PSP, and there is no extra cost for this. As of 2016, about half of the towns in Pennsylvania used the PSP as their only police force. Most people in Pennsylvania live in areas that have either part-time or full-time police departments. In 2019, around two-thirds of the towns either used the PSP alone or had a small police force that worked together with the PSP. Towns that use the PSP can keep about half of the money from tickets given to drivers during traffic stops.