Maxwell Frost: “H. Con. Res. 190 creates a bipartisan and bicameral committee to study what new rules, laws, regulations, or…”

“H. Con. Res. 190 creates a bipartisan and bicameral committee to study what new rules, laws, regulations, or constitutional remedies might be needed to assure the continuity of the Congress in the event of a catastrophic event. This resolution moves forward the discussions that began in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on this country. On that day, what had been unthinkable happened. On that day, amidst the carnage in New York, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania, the whole notion that this country is immune from terrorist attacks was destroyed in a matter of minutes. One of the potential targets of the terrorists that day was this building, the seat of our government and the greatest symbol of our democracy. Had those enemies of democracy succeeded, our representative democracy might have been thrown into chaos if a large number of Members of the House of Representatives had been killed, injured, or otherwise incapacitated. The simple fact is that the framers provided only for direct election of House Members, and there is nothing in law that would facilitate speedy replacement of Members of the House in the eventuality of a catastrophic event. September 11 provided a rude awakening in so many ways, but it is the duty of this body to find a remedy for the aftermath of a potential attack on this institution. This is a weighty matter, one that goes to the heart of representative democracy in this country.”