Rule I of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate

Standing Rules of the United States Senate

The Standing Rules of the Senate are the rules of order adopted by the United States Senate that govern its procedure. The Senate's power to establish rules derives from Article One, Section 5 of the United States Constitution: "Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings..."There are...

, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration is responsible for the rules of the United States Senate, with administration of congressional buildings, and with credentials and qualifications of members of the Senate, including responsibility for dealing with contested elections.The committee...

, governs the subject of the appointment of a Senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 to the chair.

Absence of the Vice President

Paragraph 1 addresses the absence of the Vice President of the United States

Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

, who is under the United States Constitution

United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

 the President of the Senate

President of the Senate

The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...

. The paragraph provides that the Senate shall choose a President pro tempore

President pro tempore of the United States Senate

The President pro tempore is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate. The United States Constitution states that the Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate and the highest-ranking official of the Senate despite not being a member of the body...

 who will hold the office of President of the Senate should the Vice President be absent (the Vice President usually only presides over the Senate on ceremonial occasions). The President pro tempore shall execute "the duties thereof during the pleasure of the Senate" until another is elected or his term of office as a Senator expires.

Acting President pro tempore

Paragraph 2 addresses the absence of the Vice President pending election of a President pro tempore. It states that the Assistant Secretary of the Senate

Assistant Secretary of the United States Senate

Assistant Secretary of the United States Senate represents the position of Secretary of the United States Senate within the United States Senate during the absence of the Secretary....

 shall perform all duties of Acting President pro tempore or Secretary of the United States Senate

Secretary of the United States Senate

The Secretary of the Senate is an elected officer of the United States Senate. The Secretary supervises an extensive array of offices and services to expedite the day-to-day operations of that body...

.

Rights of President pro tempore

Paragraph 3 addresses the rights of President pro tempore. It states that the President pro tempore has the right to name a Senator to perform the duties of the Chair if absent and in writing. This duty includes the signing of duly enrolled bill

Enrolled bill

In the United States Congress, an enrolled bill is the final copy of a bill or joint resolution which has passed both chambers in identical form. It is printed on parchment paper, signed by appropriate House and Senate officials, and submitted to the President for signature....

s and joint resolution

Joint resolution

In the United States Congress, a joint resolution is a legislative measure that requires approval by the Senate and the House and is presented to the President for his/her approval or disapproval, in exactly the same case as a bill....

s. This duty, however, does not extend beyond an adjournment. The exception is by unanimous consent

Unanimous consent

In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, or in the case of the parliaments under the Westminster system, leave of the house, is a situation in which no one present objects to a proposal. The chair may state, for instance: "If there is no objection, the motion...

 and the Senator named has the right to name "in open session, or, if absent, in writing, a Senator to perform the duties of the Chair, but not to extend beyond an adjournment, except by unanimous consent."