mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
i rise today to offer this manager 's amendment , but first i want to thank the gentlewoman from michigan ( mrs. miller ) xz4002761 . 
she is our able new committee member . 
we are so pleased to have the gentlewoman on the committee on house administration and thank her for managing this bill . 
she is a former secretary of state . 
she brings a wealth of knowledge and personal experience regarding running elections to this debate . 
and of course house administration does a wide variety of things , but we also oversee federal election laws , so we appreciate her carrying this bill through , and also her perspectives on it . 
and it is a pleasure to be here with the gentlewoman from california ( ms. millender-mcdonald ) xz4002750 , our new ranking member . 
and again , we like the working relationship we have had on the issues . 
mr. chairman , h.r. 841 , the continuity in representation act of 2005 is an important piece of legislation that furthers the vital objective of ensuring that the people 's house would continue to function effectively and with legitimacy in the event of a catastrophic terrorist attack in which a large number of house members would be killed . 
this amendment i am introducing today would extend the time frame for holding expedited special elections from 45 days to 49 days . 
the addition of the extra days would provide additional time for state and local election officials to prepare for expedited special elections and for the voting public to make informed choices . 
this amendment also addresses the concerns of those who felt that too little time was provided for conducting expedited special elections . 
it marks yet another step the majority has been willing to take to accommodate some concerns that have been raised by the minority . 
last congress , doug lewis , executive director of the election center , a nonprofit organization representing state and local election officials whose purpose is to promote , preserve and improve democracy , testified before our committee that it appears that elections administrators feel they can conduct an election within as few as 45 days . 
he had varied opinions on how long , frankly , this process could take . 
he pointed out , however , that any additional days would enable election officials to better prepare for the election and ensure that the process went forward as smoothly as possible . 
when operating under a tight time frame , any additional time can make a difference in the quality of the process . 
thus i believe this amendment enables us to better strike the proper balance between the demand to fill house vacancies through special elections in as short a time frame as possible and the need for election officials and the voting public to have the necessary time to get ready for elections and to examine the candidates and the issues . 
it is a good important piece of legislation . 
and i want to thank the gentleman from wisconsin ( chairman sensenbrenner ) for carrying this through . 
and it preserves the fundamental character of the house as a body consisting of only elected members and allows for reconstitution of that body as quickly as possible if we ever face these terrible circumstances which we hope do not happen . 
therefore , i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the bill . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
