G.1. Declaration of Emergency

Congress may invoke emergency procedures when necessary, but only after formally declaring an emergency. Emergencies may only be called when circumstances exist that meet at least one of the following conditions:

• Public health emergency making in-person meetings or meetings in the usual venue unsafe;

• Occupation of the capital by a military force hostile to the duly constituted Congress;

• Disasters, such as fires or floods, which impede or prevent access to the usual places of congressional business;

• Other extraordinary circumstances that make ordinary procedures physically impossible or dangerous.

The declaration of emergency must:

• Be issued jointly by the Speaker of the House and the Leader of the Senate;

• Be accompanied by a public statement that describes the emergency and why ordinary procedures cannot be reasonably followed;

• Specify a start date and, if possible, an estimated duration of the emergency; Be transmitted to the Clerk of the House, the Secretary of State, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; and

• Be made publicly accessible within four (4) hours of issuance.

A declaration of this type expires after sixty (60) days, unless both the Senate and the House vote by simple majority to renew for another sixty (60) days. Renewals must state the conditions that continue to justify the continuation of emergency status

G.1(a). Judicial Review