The Commission Reports

The Continuity of Government Commission unveiled its second report, Preserving Our Institutions - Presidential Succession, on July 2nd, 2009. This report begins with a hypothetical account of a catastrophic terrorist attack during the State of the Union address; this attack, and the ensuing confusion over who actually holds the presidency, illustrates the weaknesses in the existing system of presidential succession. The report goes on to explain the constitutional and legislative basis for succession to the presidency, and it provides seven specific recommendations for how the flaws in the current succession process may be fixed.

The Continuity of Government Commission issued its first report on the Continuity of Congress: Preserving Our Institutions - The First Report of the Continuity of Government Commission in June 2003 recommending Congress adopt a constitutional amendment to ensure that the House of Representatives and Senate could reconstitute quickly in the aftermath of a terrorist attack.