Continuity of Congress: Ongoing Efforts

After September 11th, a number of people began to consider how a terrorist attack might affect Congress. Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute wrote, "What if Congress Were Obliterated? Good Question" in Roll Call. Congressman Brian Baird was pursuing a parallel line of thinking, and he introduced H.J. Res. 67, a constitutional amendment to give governors the power to make temporary appointments to fill vacant House seats in cases of mass vacancies.

Subsequently, a number of other proposals were developed. Senator Arlen Specter and Representative Zoe Lofgren introduced two additional constitutional amendments, S.J. Res. 30 and H.J Res. 77, respectively.
February 8, 2002: the Subcommittee on the Constitution, of the House Judiciary Committee, held a hearing to discuss the Baird proposal.
March 20, 2002: Congressman Brian Baird held a press conference with other members, calling on the House leadership to convene a commission to make recommendations to ensure the continuity of Congress.
May 1, 2002: the House Administration Committee held hearings on how Congress might function after a terrorist attack, including the possibility of an e-congress.
May 16, 2002: the House Republican Policy Committee and the House Democratic Caucus met jointly for the first of several meetings on the continuity of Congress.
September 5, 2002: the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution launched the Continuity of Government Commission, a private, blue-ribbon commission to study and make recommendations on the continuity of our governmental institutions
September 23, 2002: Continuity of Government Commission holds its first public hearing to discuss continuity of Congress.
October 16, 2002: The Commission held its second meeting on the continuity of Congress at the Brookings Institution.
June 4, 2003: A press conference was held and the first report of the Commission was released detailing specific challenges Congress must address in order to preserve our institutions.
September 9, 2003: Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) held a full Judiciary Committee hearing on "Ensuring the Continuity of the United States Government: The Congress"
September 24, 2003: Committee on House Administration held a hearing regarding the continuity of Congress.
November 5, 2003: Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) proposes a constitutional amendment to provide for temporary replacement of deceased and incapcitated members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
November 19, 2003: Representative Brian Baird (D-Wash.) proposes a constitutional amendment to provide for temporary replacement of members from a list of pre-desginated appointees.