Byrd’s illness could complicate the financial reform bill’s path to President Barack Obama’s desk. Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, one of four Republicans who voted for the original bill, has said he might vote against the version that emerged from the reconciliation of the House and Senate versions because it adds a $19 billion bank tax.
Should Brown vote no and Byrd is unable to vote, it would leave the bill one vote shy of the 60 needed to close debate and move to final passage.
The 92-year-old Byrd was elected to the Senate in 1958 after six years in the House. He’s president pro tempore of the Senate, putting him fourth in line for the presidency, behind Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
If Byrd is unable to continue in office, under West Virginia law Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, would appoint a successor to finish Byrd’s Senate term, ending in 2013.
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