president pro tempore

Or president pro tem

noun

U.S. Government.

1. a senator, usually a senior member of the majority party, who is chosen to preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice president.

Example Sentences

“In just the last decade, cap-and-trade has invested billions of dollars in projects by holding polluters accountable — helping clean our air, protect public health and propel new careers,” the governor said in a joint statement with Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas when they announced their intention to reauthorize the program in April.

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The president pro tempore of the Senate, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, is 91, and third in line for succession to the presidency.

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Atkins, a former state Senate president pro tempore, former Assembly speaker and the only gay major candidate in the governor’s race, said in an interview that she’s “mindful that as a woman and as a member of the gay community, what I do matters.”

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The Byrd Rules are not actually enforced by the parliamentarian but rather enforced by the presiding officer of the Senate, which is either the president of the Senate or the president pro tempore of the Senate.

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If there’s no certification by Jan. 20, in fact, the next in the presidential line of succession would fall to the Senate president pro tempore, Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, who, after playing the “long game” for 91 years, would usher in a new era of Corn Totalitarianism.

Read more on Slate