BOSTON -- Lawmakers will begin a solemn return to the statehouse this week, where one of the first orders of business will be determining how and when Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s position in the US Senate will be filled.

Currently, state law calls for a special election within 160 days to determine who will replace Kennedy in the Senate. Before his death, however, Kennedy sent a letter to the governor, Senate president and House speaker requesting that the 2004 Succession Law be amended so that the governor can appoint an interim successor before the election.

"It is vital for this commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and an election," Kennedy wrote in the letter.

The ailing senator also requested that if a successor is chosen before the special election, the interim Senator should not run for the office in the January vote.

The push to amend the Succession Law has galled Republicans in the state, who say the Democrats are employing a political double standard. In 2004, Democrats altered the Succession Law to block then Gov. Mitt Romney from appointing a Republican to fill Sen. John Kerry's Senate seat.

“I think people don’t like it when there’s one set of rules when there’s a Republican governor and one set of rules when there’s a Democratic governor,” said Republican analyst Charles Manning.

With legislative leaders aiming to discuss the matter within a month, several names have surfaced as potential candidates for the interim position. Among them are former Democratic Party Chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. and 1988 presidential nominee Michael Dukakis -- so-called “graybeards” of the Democratic party. Dukakis and Kirk may be more palatable to political opponents because they’re seen as less likely to seek the office afterward.

Former Congressman Marty Meehan, who gave up his seat to become chancellor of UMass-Lowell three years ago, has also been mentioned as a potential pick for Gov. Deval Patrick if the law is changed. Meehan, who sits on about $5 million in campaign funds, said Sunday that he understands both sides of the debate and he’s looking for signs from the Kennedy family right now.

“At this point, most of the focus is on the Kennedy family and what we’ll hear from them,” said Meehan. “Joe Kennedy was a colleague of mine. He served very effectively in the congress.”

Dukakis declined to comment when he was contacted Sunday.