Lawmaker Says House Must Prepare for Succession After Disaster

By Jim Abrams Associated Press Writer Published: Oct 11, 2001

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Constitution should be amended to adjust to the new age of mass terror and ensure a smooth succession should large numbers of lawmakers be killed, Rep. Brian Baird says. Baird, D-Wash., said Wednesday that he is proposing a constitutional amendment to give governors appointment powers if one-quarter or more of the House's 435 members are killed or otherwise incapacitated in a terrorist attack.

"We live in a time where we know people have great hatred for our people and our country and our Constitution," Baird said. "And we live in a time of tremendously destructive weapons."

The Constitution states that governors fill seats vacated when a senator dies or leaves office before his term ends. But in the case of the House, the Constitution requires a direct election. With the time needed to hold primaries and general elections, House seats are sometimes left vacant for months.

Baird's proposal would change the Constitution to give governors the authority to appoint new House members as well.

A governor would have seven days to appoint House members to 90-day terms. Special elections would be held within that 90-day period.

Baird said he had talked to senior members from both parties about his proposal. Without endorsing the amendment, they "recognized the potential seriousness of the situation and the need to address it."

Every year, legislators introduce dozens of bills to amend the Constitution, but they are almost always unsuccessful. The Constitution has been amended only 27 times in more than 200 years, including the 10 articles of the Bill of Rights. The last amendment, ratified in 1992, stated that any pay raise legislators vote for themselves won't occur until after an intervening election.

The Constitution is amended after approval by two-thirds of both the House and the Senate and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.

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-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001