Passed by Congress March 2, 1932. Ratified January 23, 1933.
Note: Article I, section 4, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of this amendment. In addition, a portion of the 12th amendment was superseded by section 3.
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 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 3d 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 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.
This amendment provides staggering dates for the start of Congress and the President. Congress terms end on January 3rd and begin at noon on January 3rd as well unless they create a law stating otherwise. After the end of an election year the president and vice president end their term on January 20th. Should the President elect die before officially making it to office the Vice president is next in line to become the President. Should the President elect is not able to fulfill his duties the vice President fills in for him. If Congress sees neither the president or vice president suitable they pick someone as acting president until the president/vice president qualify. Lastly, in very rare cases the Congress is able to choose the next president should the Electoral College Fail to vote a President into office.
The Lame Duck Amendment. "In politics, the term “lame duck”
refers to an elected official whose term
of office has not yet expired but who has
failed to get re-elected and therefore
cannot garner much political support for
initiatives.
This 1915 cartoon shows "lame duck"
members of Congress departing Capitol
Hill after losing their bid for reelection.
The lame ducks shown are defeated
Democrats heading to the White House
hoping to secure political appointments
from then-President Woodrow Wilson.
The Lame Duck Amendment, 20th to
the U.S. Constitution, calls for Congress
and each new President to take office in
January instead of March (as before),
thereby eliminating the lame-duck session
of Congress. But for the period between
the November election and the January
inauguration and new Congress, the lame
ducks keep quacking"
Found on: http://nieonline.com/cftc/pdfs/lameduck.pdf
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