Massachusetts Lawmakers to Debate Senate Appointment Change

The Massachusetts state senate will debate a bill Tuesday that would give Gov. Deval Patrick authority to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Sen. Ted Kennedy's death. Republican lawmakers delayed the debate again Monday after previously putting if off on Friday, but said they do not anticipate obstructing it again. If the bill passes, it will face a final vote from both houses before the governor can sign it and make his appointment. The new senator would serve until voters make their own choice in a Jan. 19 special election.

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Patrick supports the measure and has said he would appoint a successor immediately. He said last week that President Obama had personally talked to him about changing the law, and that White House aides were pushing him to do everything he could to obtain the appointment power. Obama adviser David Axelrod has contacted other lawmakers and mobilized the president's political organization in the state to seek the rule change. Republicans complain that the rush to alter the rules comes from White House pressure to get a filibuster-proof Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.

Mass. May Have a New Senator This Week [CBS News]


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