Evening star., 1932-10-26
LAW MAY SHORTEN
CONGRESS TERMS
Lame Duck Ratification by
19 States in January Would
Affect New Members.

Although the Norris lame duck
amendment to the Constitution cannot
be ratified in time to affect the present
Congress. which expires next March, If
the amendment should be ratified by
the required number of States early In
1888 it would have some effect on the
length of legislative service to be rem
dered by the new Seventy-thlrd Con-
greSs, about to be elected.
Seventeen States have approved the
amendment since it was submitted, less
than nine months ago, and approxl-
mately 40 State legislatures are sched-
uled to convene in January, with action
by only 10 needed to give it the required
three fourthS.
The amendment provides that Con-
eress shall meet at least once in every
year, such meeting to begin at noon on
January 3, unless Congress by law ap-
points different day. The form in
which it was submitted provides that
this part of the amendment shall take
effect on october Is following ratlflca-
tion.
On March 4 Pay Roll.
The members of the new Congress to
be elected next month will go on the
paw roll March 4. 1888 as usual; and, OF
course, if special session should be
called they could meet at any time
after that date for such session. II
no special session is called, however,
this new Congress would not convene
for its first regular session until Janu-
ary 3. 1884, assuming the amendment
Is ratified before october Is, 1888. Or
dinarily the Congress elected next
month would convene in December,
1fn nio1
after March 4.
But this situation, in which the new
Congress might have to wait longer
than usual to begin legislating, would
only occur in this one instance, and
then only if there should be no special
session next year.
Another congressional election will
be held in November, 1884, and II the
constitutional amendment is ratified in
the meantime the Congress elected at
that time would meet for its first ses-
sion January 3, 1895, or within two
months after its election. This Is the
real purpose of the amendment, namely,
to GO away with the short lame duck
session of every other year, In when
the old Congress continues to legislate
from December to March following
election of the new Congress.
Ratification possibilities.
Ratification of the amendment by the
legislatures meeting next January,
therefore. would mean that the ap-
preaching short session would be the
last one in which an old Congress
would function after an election.
The members of the Seventy-thlrd
Congress about to be elected will have
their service shortened by about two
months at the end if the constitutional
amendment is ratified next year, be-
cause the terms of these members would
expire January 3 instead of March 4
in 1885
The proposed constitutional change
also would move up the date OF 1nau-
g1lration from March 4 to January 70.
but even if the amendment is rathed
by the required number of States In
January or February, 1888, 1t would not
affect the holding of the Forthcoming
inauguration on March 4. The amend
ment provides that the provision end
ing the terms of President and Vice
President at noon on January 20 of the
wear in which they would have ended
if the amendment had not been rati-
fed also states that this section shall
take effect October Is following ratifi-
cation. This part of the amendment,
therefore, cannot be effective until Oc-
tober Is, 1888 If the amendment is
ratified. the change in the time OF in
auguration would operate for the first
time in January, 1887.
The States that have approved the
constitutional change are New York,
Mississippi, Arkansas, Virginia, New
Jersey, illinois, Indiana. Alabama, Ken
lucky, Michigan, South Carolina Maine,
Rhode Island, Louisiana, Pennsylvania,
Texas and West Virginia.