Amendment XX

Amendment XX

Text:

Section 1. The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of the Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3rd day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3rd day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President  elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President shall have qualified.

Section 4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

Background info: 

(Ratified on January 23, 1933 nearly a year after it was passed by Congress on March 2, 1932)

The introduction of the 20th amendment was inspired by the problems caused by the “lame-duck period”, in which an elected official who is leaving office still holds the power of office for a period of time before his replacement enters office. The 74th Congress was the first one to follow all the requirements of the amendment; first Congress wanted to have the first session in the fall, but transportation was bad so they pushed the congressional meeting date back to January.

Effect:

The twentieth provides order to the government and ensures to the people that the government will convene a few times a year at the least. It also prevents people who may have been voted out of office from continuing their job past their term. However, because there is an established order for replacements, planned people outside of the government can also predict the order of leaders in the case that something bad happens to the current office holder (provides more motive for assassination).