All Topics  
President pro tempore of the United States Senate

 
President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

President pro tempore of the United States Senate
 
 
  Topics President pro tempore of the United States Senate Topic Home

The President pro tempore (; also referred to as President pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 and the highest-ranking senator. The U.S. Constitution
United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America; the Federal Government of the United States; and all the State & local governments and Territorial Administrative bodies contained therein....
 states the Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
 serves ex officio as President of the Senate
President of the Senate

The President of the Senate is a title often given to the Speaker of a senate.In countries with a Argentine Senate or the Senate of Uruguay. The Senate President is often a very high-ranking figure in the order of presidential succession order: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line for succession to the pres...
, and is the highest-ranking official of the Senate even though he or she only votes in the case of a tie. During the Vice President's absence, the President pro tempore
Pro tempore

Pro tempore or pro tem is a List of Latin phrases which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate....
 is the highest-ranking official in the Senate and may preside over its sessions.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'President pro tempore of the United States Senate'
Start a new discussion about 'President pro tempore of the United States Senate'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The President pro tempore (; also referred to as President pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 and the highest-ranking senator. The U.S. Constitution
United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America; the Federal Government of the United States; and all the State & local governments and Territorial Administrative bodies contained therein....
 states the Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
 serves ex officio as President of the Senate
President of the Senate

The President of the Senate is a title often given to the Speaker of a senate.In countries with a Argentine Senate or the Senate of Uruguay. The Senate President is often a very high-ranking figure in the order of presidential succession order: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line for succession to the pres...
, and is the highest-ranking official of the Senate even though he or she only votes in the case of a tie. During the Vice President's absence, the President pro tempore
Pro tempore

Pro tempore or pro tem is a List of Latin phrases which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate....
 is the highest-ranking official in the Senate and may preside over its sessions. The President pro tempore is elected by the Senate; by custom, the President pro tempore is the most senior senator in the majority party. Normally, neither the Vice President of the United States nor the President pro tempore presides; instead, the duty is generally delegated to the majority party's junior senators to help them learn parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure

Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, Legislature, and other deliberative assembly....
. The President pro tempore is third in the line of succession to the Presidency
United States presidential line of succession

The United States presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office of a sitting president or a President-elect of the United States....
, after the Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic Party representing California's 8th congressional district....
.

The current President pro tempore of the Senate is Robert Byrd
Robert Byrd

Robert Carlyle Byrd is the Senior Senator United States United States Senate from West Virginia, and a member and former leader of the Democratic Party ....
 (D
Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party . It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world....
-West Virginia
List of United States Senators from West Virginia

This is a list of United States Senators from West Virginia. Its senators belong to Classes of United States Senators#Class I and Classes of United States Senators#Class II....
). By custom, the next Senators in line likely to be elected President pro tempore are Democrats Edward Kennedy
Ted Kennedy

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy is the Senior Senator United States Senate from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party . In office since November 1962, Kennedy is the list of current United States Senators by seniority member of the Senate, after President pro tempore of the United States Senate Robert Byrd of West Virginia....
 of Massachusetts and Daniel Inouye
Daniel Inouye

born September 7, 1924 is an American politician who currently serves as the senior United States Senate from Hawaii. He has been a U.S. Senator since 1963, and is currently the third-most-senior member after fellow Democratic Party Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy....
 of Hawaii.

Power and responsibilities

The President pro tempore is an office of the Senate mandated by Article I, section 3
Article One of the United States Constitution

Article One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of the legislature of the Federal government of the United States, known as United States Congress, which includes the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate....
 of the Constitution. Although the position is in some ways equivalent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic Party representing California's 8th congressional district....
, the powers of the President pro tempore are far more limited. In the Senate, most power rests with party leaders and individual senators, but as the chamber's presiding officer in the absence of the Vice President
Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
, the President pro tempore is authorized to perform certain duties, including ruling on points of order. Additionally, the President pro tempore is one of the two authorities to whom declarations of presidential inability or of ability to resume the presidency must be transmitted under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution
Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution deals with succession to the United States Presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the United States Vice President, as well as responding to Presidential disabilities....
 (The Speaker of the House is the other.) The President pro tempore is third in the line of presidential succession
United States presidential line of succession

The United States presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office of a sitting president or a President-elect of the United States....
, following the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. Additional duties include appointment of various Congressional officers, certain commissions, advisory boards, and committees and joint supervision of the congressional page school. The President pro tempore is the designed legal recipient of various reports to the Senate including War Power Act reports under which he or she, jointly with the Speaker, may have the President call Congress back into session. The officeholder is an ex officio member of various boards and commissions. With the Secretary and Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, the President pro tempore maintains order in the use of Senate buildings as per Senate rules.

History