Continuity of Operations (COOP) in the Executive Branch: Issues in the 109th Congress

Publication Date: January 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

Spurred in part by occasional warnings of potential terrorist threats in the post9/11 era, some policymakers have intensified their focus on continuity of operations (COOP) issues. COOP planning is a segment of federal government contingency planning linked to continuity of government (COG). Together, COOP and COG are designed to ensure survival of a constitutional form of government and the continuity of essential federal functions. This report focuses primarily on executive branch COOP activities.

Broadly, COOP planning refers to the internal effort of an organization, such as a branch of government, department, or office, to assure that the capability exists to continue essential operations in response to a comprehensive array of potential operational interruptions. In the executive branch, COOP planning is regarded as a "good business practice," and part of the fundamental mission of agencies as responsible and reliable public institutions.

In the 109th Congress, policy questions and issues might arise as Congress examines the status of COOP planning within the executive branch of the federal government and the implications of that planning for overall agency emergency preparedness. Some of the issues surrounding COOP planning are discussed in this report, including authority to activate and implement COOP plans; defining essential activities to be maintained by a COOP plan; budgeting for COOP activities; congressional committee jurisdiction; and attention to COOP and preparedness matters.

This report is one of several CRS products related to government contingency planning, and will be updated as events warrant. Further discussion of executive branch COOP activities is provided in CRS Report RL31857, Continuity of Operations (COOP) in the Executive Branch: An Overview, by R. Eric Petersen. COOP planning in Congress is addressed in CRS Report RL31594, Congressional Continuity of Operations (COOP): An Overview of Concepts and Challenges , by R. Eric Petersen and Jeffrey W. Seifert. Contingency planning in the federal judiciary is discussed in CRS Report RL31978, Emergency Preparedness and Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planning in the Federal Judiciary, by R. Eric Petersen. CRS Report RL31739, Federal Agency Emergency Preparedness and Dismissal of Employees, by L. Elaine Halchin, discusses pre-COOP activities relating to the safeguarding of federal personnel and evacuation of federal buildings. For a more comprehensive analysis of continuity of government (COG), see CRS Report RS21089, Continuity of Government: Current Federal Arrangements and the Future, by Harold C. Relyea.