{ "id": "RL30960", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL30960", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 445450, "date": "2015-09-16", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:23:03.187130", "title": "The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office", "summary": "The U.S. Constitution establishes the office of the President pro tempore of the Senate to preside over the Senate in the Vice President\u2019s absence. Since 1947, the President pro tempore has stood third in line to succeed to the presidency after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.\nAlthough the President pro tempore\u2019s powers are limited and not comparable to those of the Speaker of the House, as the chamber\u2019s presiding officer, he is authorized to perform certain duties. For example, he may decide points of order (subject to appeal) and enforce decorum in the Senate chamber and galleries.\nEarly in the nation\u2019s history, some Presidents pro tempore appointed Senators to standing committees. While they no longer do so, election to the office is considered one of the highest honors bestowed by the Senate, and Presidents pro tempore are traditionally accorded a somewhat larger salary and allowances for staff.\nNinety different Senators have served as President pro tempore. Sixty-one served prior to 1900, when Vice Presidents routinely presided over the chamber and Presidents pro tempore were elected to serve only for limited periods when the Vice President was absent or ill or the office was vacated. Frequently, several different Presidents pro tempore were chosen in a single congressional session \u201con the basis of their personal characteristics, popularity, and reliability.\u201d (See Robert C. Byrd, \u201cPresident Pro Tempore of the Senate,\u201d in Donald C. Bacon, Roger H. Davidson, and Morton Keller, eds., The Encyclopedia of the Congress, 4 vols., New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995, vol. 3, p. 1604.) The current President pro tempore is Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah.\nSince 1890, the President pro tempore has customarily been the majority party Senator with the longest continuous service. Twice, the Senate has also created an office of Deputy President pro tempore to honor a colleague and an office of Permanent Acting President pro tempore in a third instance for the same reason. In 2001, the Senate also created an office of President pro tempore Emeritus.\nThis report traces the constitutional origins and development of the office of President pro tempore of the Senate, reviews its current role and authority, and provides information on Senators who have held this office, and the more recently created subsidiary offices, over the past two centuries.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL30960", "sha1": "cca3b10f98d53090b7b28d5883d328f1d139762a", "filename": "files/20150916_RL30960_cca3b10f98d53090b7b28d5883d328f1d139762a.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL30960", "sha1": "8834e7ec83b909e2bca2328aee6e14b20d7adff6", "filename": "files/20150916_RL30960_8834e7ec83b909e2bca2328aee6e14b20d7adff6.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "CongOpsList", "id": 4161, "name": "Party Leaders" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc814898/", "id": "RL30960_2008Apr02", "date": "2008-04-02", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080402_RL30960_50d3f56c9403bab1034a768b6f0b0418dda94948.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080402_RL30960_50d3f56c9403bab1034a768b6f0b0418dda94948.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc824744/", "id": "RL30960_2004Jul26", "date": "2004-07-26", "retrieved": "2016-04-04T14:48:17", "title": "The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office", "summary": "This report traces the constitutional origins and development of the office of President pro tempore of the Senate, reviews its current role and authority, and provides information on Senators who have held this office -- and the more recently-created subsidiary offices -- over the past two centuries.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20040726_RL30960_0879aa472e9f7a7dc3a60658695e1c681eb4f1a0.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20040726_RL30960_0879aa472e9f7a7dc3a60658695e1c681eb4f1a0.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Congress", "name": "Congress" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Senate", "name": "Senate" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Senate leadership", "name": "Senate leadership" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs4001/", "id": "RL30960 2003-01-22", "date": "2003-01-22", "retrieved": "2005-06-10T23:35:13", "title": "The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20030122_RL30960_ee41a13d57c0419e4c65c678b82723e22843ae6f.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20030122_RL30960_ee41a13d57c0419e4c65c678b82723e22843ae6f.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Congress", "name": "Congress" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Senate leadership", "name": "Senate leadership" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1510/", "id": "RL30960 2001-06-19", "date": "2001-06-19", "retrieved": "2005-06-10T23:34:33", "title": "The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20010619_RL30960_5f8d9ba150e08fa1c44f82da8cbf9d96e4e04b76.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20010619_RL30960_5f8d9ba150e08fa1c44f82da8cbf9d96e4e04b76.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Congress", "name": "Congress" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Senate leadership", "name": "Senate leadership" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Constitutional Questions", "Environmental Policy", "Legislative Process" ] }