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Massachusetts is being pressured to pass a bill that would give Governor Patrick the authority to name a temporary replacement for Senator Kennedy. Timothy Murray, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, tells The Takeaway about the bill’s progress.
The Massachusetts Governor’s office is feeling pressure from Capitol Hill to sign into law a bill the late Senator Edward Kennedy proposed. If ratified, the bill would give Governor Deval Patrick the legal authority to name a temporary replacement for the senator. The existing law was established during John Kerry’s 2004 presidential run and specifically enacted to prevent then-Governer Mitt Romney from appointing a Republican replacement had the Democratic senator won the presidency; the law mandates Patrick wait at least 145 days to hold a special election. Timothy Murray is the Lieutenant Governor for the State of Massachusetts and tells us about the bill’s progress.