AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION, 1933 HENRY L. STIMSON February S, 11131 . SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: KNOW YE, That the Congress of the United States, at the first m;n,:e:,ti:~~ c!:m~: session, seventy-second Congress begun at the City of Washington on tio:- bl Monday, the seventh day of December, in the year one thousand nine e. hundred and thirty-one, passed a Joint Resolution in the words and figures as follows: to wit- JOINT RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States fixin~ the commencement of the terms of President and Vice PresIdent and Members of Congress and fixing the time of the assembling 01 Congress. Resolved by the Senate and House oJ Representatives oj the United ~e:'~Jta~ States 0/ America in Oongres8 assembled (two-thirds oj each House A1Itt, p. 7 '-'1 . • concurnng therein), That the following amendment to the Constitu- tion be, and hereby is, proposed to the States, to become valid as a part of said Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of the several States as provided in the Constitution: "ARTICLE- "SECTION 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall Vi~rms~~d~ld:~~ end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators Congress. and Representatives at noon on the 3d 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. "SEC, 2. The CO:flress shall assemble at least once in every year, Sessions of Congress. Date of convening. and such meeting sha begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. "SEC. 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the Succession If Presi· P'd hP'd I hIIh didhV'P 'd I dent elect dies before reSI ent,t e reSI enteects a ave e,t e ICe resl enteecttermbegins. shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen TarmstroBot (talk)t =i1:fi~ t~ before the time fixed for the b~nnjng of his term, or if the President qualify. elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have <J.ualified; and the Con- gress may by law provide for the case wherem neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the maimer in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such_person shall act accordingly until a Presi- dent or Vice President shall have qualified. "SEC. 4 . The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death pr~~id:Cf':fr ~=o: of any of the p,ersons 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. 2569
