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To: ken5050
Question for you...back when the Dems controlled the Senate for years, and had huge majorities..( I think one year it was 70-30 or so, was floor time EQUALLY divided between the majority and the minority?

Ahh ... a short and sweet authoritative source. All emphasis herein is mine.

Debate Time. Consent agreements that include limitations on time available for debate are also called "time agreements." A time agreement may establish an overall limit on debate of a measure, or may regulate only a certain day or portion of consideration. Usually, it specifies a length of time for debate of a measure, "equally divided and controlled" by the majority and minority bill managers. Occasionally, other Senators may also control blocks of this "bill time," or it may be divided unequally among Senators controlling it. When time on a question is controlled, a Senator can be recognized to speak on that question only when a colleague who controls time first yields a portion of it to the Senator. Also, until all time on a question is used or yielded back, no vote can occur on the question, nor can an amendment or motion to table be offered.

How Unanimous Consent Agreements Regulate Senate Floor Action
Richard S. Beth - Congressional Research Service

Here is a link to CRS 98-225, the general case referred to in the publication linked above.

As to how the actual practice breaks down, and in particular whether the DEMs took advantage of their majority status to shortchange the minority from debate time, I don't know.

427 posted on 02/15/2006 10:58:42 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: Cboldt

Many thanks for the info...BTW, man could you ever imagine Ev Dirksen on C-span...Lawdie, what a show that would be..


428 posted on 02/15/2006 11:34:42 AM PST by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to pass on her gene pool....any volunteers?)
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