AUSTIN (April 9, 2013)--The Texas House Tuesday approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would clarify the chain of command if the governor can't perform his or her duties.
Under the current Constitution, the lieutenant governor takes over when the governor travels outside of the state, and the president pro-tem of the senate takes over if the lieutenant governor is also gone.
But the constitution is not clear on what happens if the governor can't serve for other reasons, such as illness.
In a unanimous vote on Monday, the Texas House approved a proposed constitutional amendment that says the lieutenant governor takes over either temporarily or permanently if something happens to the governor.
The same would be true for the senate pro-tem if the lieutenant governor is also unavailable.
The measure goes to the Senate for approval.