IA 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. J. RES. 56 
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to tempo-
rarily 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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 4, 2007 
Mr. BAIRD (for himself and Mr. ROHRABACHER) introduced the following 
joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
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. 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United States of America in Congress assembled
(two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the fol-
lowing article is proposed as an amendment to the Con-
stitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all 
intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:37 Oct 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HJ56.IH
HJ56
hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
•HJ 56 IH 
States within seven years after the date of its submission 
for ratification: 
‘‘ARTICLE — 
‘‘SECTION 1. Immediately after taking the oath of of-
fice, an individual who is elected to serve as a Senator 
or Representative in Congress shall provide the applicable 
House of Congress a list of at least three designees, 
ranked in order of preference, to take the individual’s 
place in the event the individual dies, becomes incapaci-
tated, or disappears prior to the expiration of the individ-
ual’s term of office. The individual shall ensure that the 
list only contains the names of designees who meet the 
qualifications for service as a Senator or Representative 
in Congress. The individual may present revised versions 
of the list at any time during the Congress. 
‘‘SECTION 2. In the event a catastrophe results in the 
death, incapacity, or disappearance of a significant num-
ber of Representatives, the Speaker of the House shall im-
mediately fill the vacancies with individuals from the most 
recent lists of designees (in the order so provided on the 
lists) presented by the Representatives whose seats are 
now vacant, as provided by section 1. In the event that 
a catastrophe results in the death, incapacity, or dis-
appearance of a significant number of Senators, the Vice 
President or President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:37 Oct 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HJ56.IH
HJ56
hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
•HJ 56 IH 
immediately fill the vacancies with individuals from the 
most recent lists of designees (in the order so provided 
on the lists) presented by the Senators whose seats are 
now vacant, as provided by section 1. An individual des-
ignated to take the place of a Senator or Representative 
shall serve until the Senator or Representative regains ca-
pacity, is located, or until another Member is elected to 
fill the vacancy. 
‘‘SECTION 3. During the period of an individual’s 
service under section 2, the individual shall be treated as 
a Senator or Representative in Congress for purposes of 
all laws, rules, and regulations, but not for purposes of 
section 1. If an individual designated under section 2 is 
unwilling to carry out the duties of a Senator or Rep-
resentative during such period, or is unable to do so be-
cause of death, incapacity, or disappearance, the Vice 
President or President Pro Tempore of the Senate or the 
Speaker of the House shall designate another individual 
from the same list of designees (in the order so provided 
on that list) presented under section 1 from which the in-
dividual was designated. Any individual so designated 
shall be considered to have been designated under section 
2. 
‘‘SECTION 4. If an individual is designated to fill a 
vacancy in an office of a Senator or Representative under 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:37 Oct 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HJ56.IH
HJ56
hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS