Posted on 11/21/2009 6:14:32 PM PST by Federalist Patriot
Democrats succeeded tonight in winning the first cloture vote on the Senate Health Care Bill which allows it to move forward to an debate / amendment phase. But Martin Gold and Tom Curry spell out just how far "ObamaCare" has to go before it becomes a reality. It's a longer road than I understood, and than you may think:
With the Senate having approved a motion to proceed to debate on the health insurance overhaul, legislation is still far from being signed into law. Here's what happens next:
Step 1
Senators debate the bill and offer amendments to change or remove provisions they oppose, or to add provisions.
Step 2
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may come to an agreement on the number of amendments to be offered and the time allocated for debate.
If they don't reach an accord, Reid may use parliamentary devices to limit the number of amendments.
In 2008, Reid used a procedural tactic called "filling the tree" more than 20 times to block Republican amendments.
Step 3
Senate rules allow for unlimited debate in most cases.
Prolonged debate in order to force changes in a bill or to scuttle a bill is called a "filibuster."
Step 4
The Senate votes on a motion to bring debate to an end. This is called "invoking cloture."
If three-fifths of the senators (60 senators) vote for the cloture motion, debate must last no more than an additional 30 hours.
Step 5
The Senate votes on final passage of its bill. A simple majority is sufficient to pass the bill.
Step 6
House and Senate leaders meet to resolve differences between the bill passed by the House and the one passed by the Senate.
Step 7
House and Senate leaders appoint a conference committee of several members from each body to reconcile the two bills.
Important bills are frequently rewritten in conference, or killed because the conferees fail to settle their differences.
Meetings of the conference committee are often secret.
Step 8
Senators opposed to the bill may filibuster the motion to create a conference committee.
A cloture vote would be needed to stop the filibuster.
Step 9
If the conferees resolve their differences, they issue what is called a "conference report" -- the final version of the legislation.
Step 10
The conference report is debated in the House and in the Senate. It cannot be amended.
Step 11
Senators opposed to the conference report can filibuster it.
A cloture vote would be needed to stop the filibuster.
Step 12
In the House, Republican members opposed to the conference report can offer a "motion to re-commit," essentially one last-chance vote to kill or amend the bill.
Step 13
Each chamber votes on approval of the conference report.
If approved, the legislation goes to the president for his signature or veto.
Thank you. I’m sick to death of the woe is me posts.
The fight is a long way from over and I’m not done yet.
“In 2008, Reid used a procedural tactic called ‘filling the tree’ more than 20 times to block Republican amendments.”
Well, he’ll use it ‘seventy times seven’ this time around.
Elections matter, Folks. *SHRUG*
I’m not giving up hope, though. God will see us through, even if he has to hit us upside the head with something like this from time to time. :)
I have to admit that yesterday I thought it would be practically over if we lost this cloture vote tonight. But seeing the long process still ahead, there could be as many as three more cloture votes before Obama could sign ObamaCare into law. Two of those would come even after the Senate passed a bill.
The Democrats would have to be able to hold all 60 of their votes to pass any or all of those cloture votes. With Lieberman already saying he will vote against any bill that increases the debt or has a Public Option, that won’t be easy for them. The abortion division could also be a problem depending on what is in the final bill.
Agree, but I’m still concerned and scared. Hoping it fails somehow!
It’s nice to see someone spell out all the steps remaining before this inane bill can become law. Tonight was a loss, but there is still a long road ahead.
Will the Dems. be able to keep all 60 together for future cloture votes; that is a key question. I thought Joe Lieberman said he would be with Republicans on a filibuster if a bill included the public option, for example.
I see that both Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe voted with the rest of the Republicans tonight. So that’s good news. Aren’t there a few other moderate Republican senators we’ve been concerned about too? If all 40 Republicans stick together, that will force Democrats to keep every single one of their members walking the political plank at every step.
Tonight’s vote is just one step of many.
My post duplicated a lot of what you said; I didn’t read yours before commenting.
I just want to add, that, in the House vote, Nancy Pelosi was able to pick and choose which Democrats were allowed to vote “no” to give them political cover as they run for re-election. Since they have a big majority in the House, with no filibuster type rules, she could afford to lose a number of Democrats and still pass the bill. But in the Senate, the Republicans can force ALL Democrats to stand up and vote for this thing in roll call votes.
That’s right. A very good point. Let’s hope some of these Dems in conservative states will really get the heat while home for Thanksgiving. That could make a difference when they come back after the holiday - Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson, Bayh, McCaskill
14. The Supreme Court will say, “There’s nothing in the Bill of Rights that guarantees the “right” to health care; and that the Congress has usurped powers not granted to it by the Constitution.
A thin hope indeed! Roe vs. Wade , Kelo, campaign finance reform , and other twisted decisions prove that.
Opt-out is their way around this. Don’t get your hopes up with the Supreme Court, they aren’t very state friendly.
You guys are fooling yourselves if you don’t think healthcare will pass. All it takes is a few hundred million of buying votes on those who are on the fence and poof... socialized medicine.
I know this is a buzz kill, but it is a done deal.
Is there at least one, or more, additional steps. Challenges in court as to the constitutionality of the federal mandate to purchase and control health care?
I have heard over and over each step of the way that there’s not a chance of it getting passed this next hurdle, and yet it does. I believe the fix is in and it will squeak by each step by one vote. The corruption in Washington is so pervasive I believe all of our efforts will come to naught. After all, those in power know that the only consequences of their actions will be angry letters and name calling from the right.
And you feel a need to tell everyone its hopeless for what reason?
I'm trying to stay positive... :o)
One little fact left out. It was reported in another thread Senator Kyl stated bills pass 97% of the time when cloture is invoked. A vote for cloture is a vote for this unconstitutional, socialist health care bill.
Thank you!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.