Let me first express my most sincere gratitude to a man who illustrates the power of responsible, effective leadership.  A man who made today possible and who I am proud to call my close friend, Chairman Bob Ney.  The Chairman has devoted an immense amount of time to this issue of congressional continuity.  He has led this House through one of the most difficult times in our history, and he has done so with finesse.  Chairman Ney, I honestly cannot thank you enough for your dedication and hard work in bringing this legislation to the floor today.

I also want to thank the Ranking Member of the House Administration Committee, Steny Hoyer.  Mr. Hoyer has provided the same kind of leadership, wisdom and guidance in moving this issue through the legislative process.  He has worked closely with me ever since I first introduced legislation to investigate alternatives to conducting congressional business in the United States Capitol and surrounding area if there was a future attack or disaster.  I would like to thank you for your support and commitment to bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, many of my colleagues know that for months now I have promoted the establishment of an electronic communications system for an emergency situation.  When I introduced the Ensuring Congressional Security and Continuity Act last year, I wanted to spur some meaningful dialogue among Members on what we need to do now to prepare for what once was unthinkable, but now, according to our own Vice President, is “inevitable.”  I am pleased to report the dialogue has indeed begun.

On February 28th, the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution began this dialogue with a hearing on how to replace Members if a significant number were killed or incapacitated by an attack.  My good friend, Mr. Baird, has introduced some insightful legislation to address this issue.  On May 1st, I was proud to see the House Administration Committee hold a hearing on my proposal and the various issues surrounding the use of technology to conduct Congressional operations in emergency situations.  On May 16th, Mr. Cox and Mr. Frost brought together chairmen, ranking members and other leaders in this area to discuss congressional continuity issues.  Since then, the Cox-Frost team has continued to study this issue in a bipartisan and thorough fashion.

September 11th and the subsequent anthrax attacks on our congressional offices exposed just how vulnerable we are, particularly because we are centrally located.  While none of us wants to face our mortality, especially at the hands of a terrorist, it could happen.  It is our duty as Members of Congress to ensure this country remains safe for the American public with a system which ensures that our freedom and democracy prevail over any catastrophe. 

Mr. Speaker, today we can do just that by passing HR 5007.  I would like to thank Chairman Ney, Ranking Member Hoyer and their staffs for working with me to make this possible.