Bill to name Kennedy replacement advances

BOSTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A bill allowing Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint a placeholder for the Senate seat held by Edward Kennedy received preliminary approval Thursday.

The state House of Representatives voted 97-58 to approve the legislation, the Boston Globe reported. The state Senate is expected to vote on the bill by Wednesday.

A special election is scheduled in January to fill out the remainder of Kennedy's term. If the bill passes, Patrick would name someone to serve until then.

Kennedy's death leaves Democrats in the U.S. Senate with 59 votes, one short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster, as Congress considers healthcare reform legislation.

"This bill will give us full representation today and the people of Massachusetts will have their second voice in the US Senate," said state Rep. Michael Moran, a Boston Democrat from Boston and co-chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws. "My overriding concern is making sure the people of Massachusetts are fully represented in the US Congress."

Rep. Paul Frost, a Republican, described the bill as a partisan maneuver and said it would not have been introduced if the state had a Republican governor.