Despite Cloture Win, ObamaCare Still has a Long Way to Go to Become Reality - Step by Step

Freedom's Lighthouse ^ | November 21, 2009 | BrianinMO

[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.

[Nateman]

Jan 19 is another chance to send the RATS a message.It's the special election to replace Ted Kennedy. Imagine if the voters are so mad the RATS lose the seat in MASSACHUSETTS? It would not only strip them of the critical 60th vote but truly terrorize the Rats and Rino's.

Of course a win would be absolutely unprecedented but then again with 17% real unemployment , the Country hugely in debt and a power hungry congress intent on ignoring the People I think we have a chance. The real problem is putting an end to "the fix". They WILL try and steal it.

If you live in Mass. volunteer to be an election judge and get to know election law. Work in a RAT district . They probably don't have many Republicans there. Learn how elections are stolen and what to look for. Pulling out a win in this hornets nest of commies would be just the thing to save America.

[NautiNurse]

Senator Kyl stated bills pass 97% of the time when cloture is invoked.

If all else fails, we can always hope that Robert Byrd is thoroughly exhausted from his appearances on the Senate floor this week. Perhaps he will nestle into his WV home for a long winter nap.

[nutmeg]

Limbaugh said last week that 99% of bills that get past cloture go on to be approved.

Yeah, I heard that... that's why I'm so damn worried and upset over tonight's vote.

[nutmeg]

ping to #21

[nutmeg]

If all else fails, we can always hope that Robert Byrd is thoroughly exhausted from his appearances on the Senate floor this week. Perhaps he will nestle into his WV home for a long winter nap.

Um... yup. ;-)

I was pretty disappointed to see 92-year-old Robert KKK Byrd being wheeled up to vote tonight. We need term limits!

[GOPJ]

Can’t give up hope...

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[CSA Rebel]

“People” don’t have the power currently. You can be an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist. The choice is yours.

[fortheDeclaration]

No, this Bill will not be stopped in the Senate.

The only hope left is in the House in the final vote.

The Democratic leadership has carefully planned this, from stealing the Alaskan and Minn. Senate seats, to getting that Republican seat in N.Y.

They know that no Democrat Senator (and that includes Liberaman) is going to stop the Democrat goal of Socialistic healthcare.

[fortheDeclaration]

I see that both Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe voted with the rest of the Republicans tonight.

Tonight they did, but on another filibuster issue, it is likely they won't.

The Democrats are too close to their dream to stop.

This Bill will go through unless their is such a public outcry that it forces those up for reelection to reconsider their own political future.

So much for 'moderate' Democrats.

[LS]

Nutmeg, I said in August this was a done deal, and I stick by that. All the interim juggling has been about who gets to opt out and vote against the final bills, who gets bought off (Landrieu). But the final result was never, ever in question. Elections have consequences, and NO Democrat was ever, ever, ever going to stop a piece of leftist legislation. Where is "Holy" Joe Lieberman? Where is "centrist" Ben Nelson or Blanche Lincoln or Byron Dorgan?

But here's the really sad part: if the Dems had come up with only 58 or 59 votes, SNOWE AND/OR COLLINS WOULD HAVE PUT THEM OVER ANYWAY. Yes, they voted with the GOP against cloture---but that was a show because it was a done deal.

[Snow Eagle]

Thanks for your post. So there is LOTS of time for FReeping our senators’ offices, tea parties, phone calls, faxes, letters, letters to the editors.... so let’s get hot!

[Snow Eagle]

“...disappointed to see Byrd wheeled in to vote...” Yes but did he READ the bill??? LOL

[mad_as_he$$]

Sorry author, it is a done deal, the fix is in. The only landmine left id abortion but Reid will go to the nuclear option to overcome that. Signed by January 7.

[mad_as_he$$]

Sorry author, it is a done deal, the fix is in. The only landmine left id abortion but Reid will go to the nuclear option to overcome that. Signed by January 7.

[StarFan]

Limbaugh said last week that 99% of bills that get past cloture go on to be approved

Can't wait to hear Rush tomorrow and hope he has a more positive forecast. Now I'm getting worried.

[Petronski]

This was not a cloture vote, but rather a motion to proceed.

[SueRae]

Thank you for that distinction. But I am not resting.

This last year has been unbearable. I see glimmers of light but this is our most important battle here at home. The party of ‘Hell No’ has to keep up the heat.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

This was not a cloture vote, but rather a motion to proceed.

Whatever kind of vote it was, Rush specifically said that 99% of bills that clear this particular hurdle go on to become law.