Twentieth Amendment

Ratified January 23, 1933

The twentieth amendment states...
      Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end 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 or Vice 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.


What it means to me...
      This amendment reduced the four-month-long lag period between the November elections and the March 4th starting date of the new congressional and presidential terms. It moved the commencement of the new congressional session from March 4 to January 3. If a Presidential election were thrown into the House of Representatives, then the decision would be made by the newly elected House. Now, the nation would only have to go two months instead of four months without a chief executive. This amendment modified Section 1 of the 12th amend. and Article 1 of the Constitution.


The following image relates to the 20th amendment...

This amendment is often referred to as the "lame-duck" amendment. This cartoon of the Lame duck refers to the lack of quality work during the the lag time when the nation is waiting for their new president to take office. Bills are often shuffled through the system and signed without serious debate. This amendment shortened this lag time and helped improve the system.

The following is an illustration about the 20th amendment...

This cartoon shows, once again, the lame-duck aspect of this amendment. The caption states, "Lame-Duck Migration Descends on Washington to Carry Forward the Nation's Business.