President pro tempore of the United States Senate

The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the vice president. According to Article One, Section Three of the United States Constitution, the vice president of the United States is the president of the Senate (despite not being a senator), and the Senate must choose a president pro tempore to act in the vice president's absence.

The president pro tempore is elected by the Senate as a whole, usually by a resolution which is adopted by unanimous consent without a formal vote. The Constitution does not specify who can serve in this position, but the Senate has always elected one of its current members. Unlike the vice president, the president pro tempore cannot cast a tie-breaking vote when the Senate is equally divided. The president pro tempore enjoys many privileges and some limited powers.

During the vice president's absence, the president pro tempore is empowered to preside over Senate sessions. Except when necessary or to highlight important votes, the vice president and the president pro tempore rarely preside; instead, the duty of presiding officer is rotated among junior U.S. senators of the majority party to give them experience in parliamentary procedure.

The current president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate is John Bell of Tennessee. A senator in the majority National Federalist Party and the a former Vice President, he was sworn in on March 3, 1861, at the start of the 37th Congress.

Power and responsibilities
The position is mostly analogous to the speaker of the House of Representatives, as the chamber's presiding officer, the president pro tempore is authorized to perform certain duties in the absence of the vice president, including ruling on points of order.

Additional duties include appointment of various congressional officers, certain commissions, advisory boards, and committees. The president pro tempore is the designated legal recipient of various reports to the Senate, including War Powers Act reports under which they, jointly with the speaker, may require the president to call Congress back into session. The officeholder is an ex officio member of various boards and commissions. With the secretary and sergeant at arms, the president pro tempore maintains order in Senate portions of the Capitol and Senate buildings.

Position established


The office of president pro tempore was established by the Constitution of the United States in 1789. The president pro tempore is second in the line of presidential succession, following the vice president and preceding the speaker.

The first president pro tempore, John Langdon, was elected on April 6, 1789, between 1789 and 1793, presiding over sessions, signing legislation, and performing routine administrative tasks.

Whenever the office of the vice presidency was vacant, as it was on ten occasions between 1810 and 1843, the office garnered heightened importance, for although he did not assume the vice presidency, the president pro tempore stood next in line for the presidency. several individuals who served during these vacancies were referred to informally as "acting vice president."