Washington, Dec 20: President George W Bush has cleared the legal hurdle confronting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton becoming the next Secretary of State by signing a reduction in the job's salary.

The US Constitution bars someone from taking an office if that job's salary was increased while the person was a sitting member of Congress.

The salary was raised earlier this year from 186,600 dollars to 191,300 dollars. It now remains at 186,600 dollars, the Washington Times reported.

In Article I, section 6, the Constitution says: "No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time."

Congress passed a bill to reduce the salary and in a brief statement on Friday White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said Bush had signed the measure.

Some groups have argued that reducing the salary alone does not solve the problem, since the Constitutional ban doesn't talk about a specific dollar amount, but rather about the act of increasing a salary. (ANI)