mr. chairman , i thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time . 
i rise today in opposition to this legislation and am disappointed we are taking up this measure again when we should be debating this issue in a more thoughtful and comprehensive manner . 
many of my colleagues , including the gentleman from washington ( mr. baird ) xz4000110 , the gentleman from california ( mr. cox ) xz4000830 , the gentleman from ohio ( mr. ney ) xz4002930 and the gentlewoman from california ( ms. millender-mcdonald ) xz4002750 have tried to encourage dialogue on this matter , but this bill simply does not address many of the concerns raised by members and outside experts during the last 3 1/2 years . 
if under h.r. 841 the house experienced the deaths of more than 100 members , the speaker could direct states to conduct special elections now within 49 days . 
well , mr. chairman , i am sure that the authors of this legislation had all the good intentions in the world , but unfortunately we find in the real world , in practice , it does not always work out as we had intended . 
as a former secretary of state , i have run numerous elections , and i can tell you that the 49-day limit would constrain election officials ' ability to prepare ballots , train poll workers , select polling locations , and inform the voting public about the process . 
mr. chairman , make no mistake about it , under this limited time frame , there would be voters who would be disenfranchised . 
the mail ballot process itself can be very cumbersome , and i can guarantee you that very potentially the elderly , people with disabilities , and most especially , our men and women in uniform who are overseas would potentially be disenfranchised by this shortened time frame . 
now , at a time when our nation would be looking to its government for answers , it will instead face confusion and uncertainty about how its leaders are elected . 
mr. chairman , it would seem to me to be reasonable to support the gentlewoman 's amendment to extend the time period to 60 days . 
at the very least , if we are going to do this , i believe we need to do it the right way , and this would allow us the extra time we would need . 
but , mr. chairman , my colleague the gentleman from california ( mr. rohrabacher ) xz4003430 really said it right . 
whether it is 49 days or the 60 days , it is really both too long and too short . 
even if we were able to hold special elections within the 49 days , that would still be too long for congress to remain inactive . 
i want to remind everyone that in the 6 weeks after the attacks of september 11 , congress passed legislation authorizing the use of military force , an airline assistance measure , an economic stimulus bill , the defense authorization act , numerous appropriation bills , the farm bill , legislation pertaining to bioterrorism , victims assistance , and terrorism financing . 
h.r. 841 would leave important decisions to a greatly diminished and possibly unrepresentative house . 
worse , in the case of widespread incapacitation , the house would be unable to achieve a quorum and become inoperative during a time of crisis . 
a recent change in house rules tried to circumvent this problem by creating a provisional quorum , which would permit a smaller number of members to constitute a quorum in emergency circumstances . 
however , one must question the constitutionality and public support of laws that would be passed by a handful of members during a time of national crisis . 
the house is attempting to address this complex issue over congressional continuity , mr. chairman , by passing feel-good legislation and tweaking our internal rules . 
but i am disappointed that h.r. 841 does not take a comprehensive approach to continuity nor does it address a priority of mine , deciding how congress could communicate and function if terrorist acts prevented it from meeting in one location . 
mr. chairman , these matters warrant greater discussion than the limited bill before us , and i urge my colleagues to oppose h.r. 841 so that we can have the full debate that this congress and our nation deserves . 
