§ 52:14A-5 — Emergency interim successors for State officers

All State officers, subject to such regulations as the Governor may issue, shall in addition to any deputy authorized pursuant to law to exercise all of the powers and discharge the duties of the office, designate by title emergency interim successors, specify their order of succession and file such designations with the Secretary of State. All such data shall be opened to public inspection. The officer shall review and revise, as necessary, such designations to insure their current status. The Secretary of State shall inform the Governor and the State officer affected of the failure of any such officer to file such designations. The officer will designate a sufficient number of such emergency interim successors so that there will be not less than 3, nor more than 7, such deputies or emergency interim successors or any combination thereof, at any time. In the event that any State officer is unavailable following an attack, and in the event his deputy, if any, is also unavailable, the said powers of his office shall be exercised and the said duties of his office shall be discharged by his designated emergency interim successors in the order specified. Such emergency interim successors shall exercise said powers and discharge said duties only until such time as the Governor under the Constitution or authority other than this act (or other official authorized under the Constitution or this act to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office of Governor) may, where a vacancy exists, appoint a successor to fill the vacancy or until a successor is otherwise appointed, or elected and qualified as provided by law; or an officer (or his deputy or a preceding named emergency interim successor) becomes available to exercise, or resume the exercise of, the powers and discharge the duties of his office. L.1963, c. 117, s. 5.