Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to temporarily fill mass vacancies in the House of Representatives and the Senate and to preserve the right of the people to elect their Representatives and Senators in Congress.
Latest action · May 20, 2009 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this resolution reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 20, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Constitutional Amendment - Requires an individual elected to serve as a Senator or Representative in Congress, immediately after taking the oath of office, to provide the applicable chamber a list of at least three qualified designees (ranked in order of preference) to take the individual's place in the event the individual dies, becomes incapacitated, or disappears before the individual's term of office expires. Allows the individual to revise the list at any time during a Congress.
Requires: (1) the Speaker of the House, in the event a catastrophe resulting in the death, incapacity, or disappearance of a significant number of Representatives, to fill the vacancies immediately with individuals from the most recent lists of designees presented by the Representatives whose seats are now vacant; and (2) the Vice President or President Pro Tempore of the Senate to fill such vacancies regarding Senators in the same manner.
Declares that an individual designated to take the place of a Senator or Representative shall serve until the Senator or Representative regains capacity, is located, or until another Member is elected to fill the vacancy.
Provides that, during the period of such individual's service, he or she shall be treated as a Senator or Representative in Congress for purposes of all laws, rules, and regulations, except for providing such list. Requires the Vice President or President Pro Tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House to designate another individual from the same list (in the order so provided on that list) if a designated individual is unwilling to carry out the duties of a Senator or Representative during such period, or is unable to do so because of death, incapacity, or disappearance. Prohibits any designated individual from providing such a list.
Requires: (1) the executive authority of the state involved to issue a writ of election for such office; and (2) the special election to be held as soon as possible after an individual is designated to fill the vacancy.
Declares that Congress shall: (1) by law establish the criteria for determining whether a Senator or Representative in Congress is dead, incapacitated, or has disappeared; and (2) have the power to enforce this article through appropriate legislation.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on May 20, 2009.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-CA | Dana Rohrabacher | Original | May 20, 2009 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 20, 2009Introduced in House
- May 20, 2009Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Congress.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 20, 2009Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this resolution on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.