A RESOLUTION proposing an amendment to Article II and Article Ill of the Constitution of
Tennessee, relative to the exercise of the powers and duties of the Governor during
disability.
WHEREAS, the welfare and stability of the State are best served if a qualified person with
governmental experience is immediately available to assume the powers and duties of the office of
Governor when the Governor is unable to do so; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
CONCURRING, that a two-thirds majority of all the members of each house concurring, as shown by
the yeas and nays entered on their journals, that it is proposed that Article Ill, Section 12 of the
Constitution of Tennessee be amended by adding the following language immediately following the
current language in the Section:
Whenever the Governor transmits to the Secretary of State, the Speaker of the
Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a written, signed declaration that
the Governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, the powers and
duties of the office of Governor shall be temporarily discharged by the Speaker of the Senate
as Acting Governor, or if that office is unoccupied, then by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives as Acting Governor, until the Governor transmits to the same officials a
written, signed declaration that the Governor is able to discharge the powers and duties of
the office.
Whenever a majority of the commIssIoners of administrative departments of the
Executive Department transmits to the Secretary of State, the Speaker of the Senate, and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written, signed declaration that the
Governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, the Speaker of the
Senate shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting Governor, or
if that office is unoccupied, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting Governor, until the
Governor transmits to the same officials a written, signed declaration that the Governor is
able to discharge the powers and duties of the office.
Whenever a Speaker is temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the office of
Governor as Acting Governor, such Speaker shall not be required to resign the Speaker's
position as the Speaker or to resign as a member of the general assembly and shall retain
the Speaker's salary and not receive the Governor's salary, but such Speaker shall not
preside as Speaker or vote as a member of the general assembly during the time the
Speaker is Acting Governor.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it is proposed that Article Ill, Section 13 of the
Constitution of Tennessee be amended by adding the following language immediately before the
period at the end of the Section:
except as provided in Article Ill, Section 12 with regard to the Speaker of the Senate or the
Speaker of the House of Representatives temporarily discharging the powers and duties of
the office of Governor as Acting Governor
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it is proposed that Article II, Section 26 of the Constitution
of Tennessee be amended by adding the following language at the end of the Section:
This section shall not apply with regard to the Speaker of the Senate or the Speaker
of the House of Representatives temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the office
of Governor as Acting Governor under Article Ill, Section 12.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that, in accordance with Article XI, Section 3 of the
Constitution of Tennessee, the foregoing proposed amendment shall be submitted to the people at
the next general election in which a governor is to be chosen, the same being the 2022 November
general election, and the Secretary of State is directed to place such proposed amendment on the
ballot for that election.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Clerk of the Senate is directed to deliver copies of
this resolution to the Secretary of State, with this final resolving clause being deleted from such
copies.