Covenant News Wire Service

Senate Changes Line of Presidential Succession

Presidential Succession Change

The Senate approved a bill Tuesday to raise the homeland security secretary from last to eighth place in the presidential line of succession, just after the attorney general.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike DeWine (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, passed without objection just before the chamber adjourned. The companion House bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., is pending before the Judiciary and Government Reform committees.

If the bill also passes the House, the order of those in line to assume the presidency if President Bush is unable to serve would be:

_Vice President Dick Cheney

_House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

_Senate President Pro Tem Ted Stevens, R-Alaska

_Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

_Treasury Secretary John Snow

_Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld

_Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

_Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff

_Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton

_Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns

_Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez

_Labor Secretary Elaine Chao

_Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt

_Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson

_Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta

_Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman

_Education Secretary Margaret Spellings

_Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson

The Constitution, however, requires that the president be a natural-born citizen, so Gutierrez, born in Cuba, and Chao, born in Taiwan, would be ineligible.

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The bills are S. 442 and H.R. 1455.

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On the Net:

Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050727/ap_
on_go_co/line_of_succession_6&printer=1

Posted by Editor at July 28, 2005 07:54 AM