The Selection Of The Governor Pro Tempore of State Senate- Part Two

 

The Selection Of The Governor Pro Tempore of State Senate- Part Two

According to the U.S. Constitution regarding this position [Article I, Section 3, Clause 5], it is entirely possible the framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted the U.S. Senate to choose non-members of the U.S. Senate to serve as its officers and as its President Pro Tempore.

After all, the President of the U.S. Senate is not a member of the U.S. Senate. He is in fact the Vice-President of the United States.

They knew that the U.S. Senate could not choose its own members to serve in these capacities. They believed this to be a blatant conflict of interest as that measure would give certain senators more authority than other senators would have. This obviously would erode Representative governance. 

The same principles and concepts should hold true for the state senate and its officers. The Governor Pro Tempore should be chosen only when the Vice-Governor's Office becomes vacant.  

Cliff Notes Version: The Governor Pro Tempore of the State Senate should be a non-member of the State Senate. As the State Senate chooses this official, it is important this official not be a member of the State Senate. Power jockeying and brokering are kept to a minimum when an outsider is chosen. Conflicts of interests must be kept to a minimum.