Washington Post reports talk in Congress of putting in place procedures to fill vacancies if its members are assassinated in ways that upend the functioning of Congress. Similar discussions occurred after 9/11, according to the article. A plan would likely require a constitutional amendment. Still, the concern is this:

“‘We have a succession plan for the president,’ Wenstrup said at a House Administration Committee hearing in September focused on political violence.

But there is no plan to easily replace one or multiple House members should the worst happen. The Constitution requires the states to pull together a special election tofill individual vacancies, something that takes anywhere from three months to sometimes a year.

When there’s a clear, large House majority for one party, such a prolonged vacancy makes little difference to the institution at large.But now, after three straight elections left one party with just single-digit control of the lower chamber, every seat canmean the difference between majority control and legislation passing or failing.

‘The status quo also creates a perverse incentive for political violence through targeted killings designed to switch the majority party in the House,’ Kilmer said at last fall’s hearing.”