[ilgipper]

I am confused as to why this came to a vote in the house right now. They just killed this awful bill last year in the house, and now the Hastert-led Majority leaders allowed it up again.

In days past, I understood that the Speaker has complete control over bills coming to the floor. Alternatively, the Senate rules allowed the minority leader to bring bills to the floor. Now, we have a weak Republican house leadership that does not control the House agenda, while the Dem majority leader (by one vote) has absolute control over Senate bills arriving on the floor. How did this happen?

[EternalVigilance]

I am confused as to why this came to a vote in the house right now. They just killed this awful bill last year in the house, and now the Hastert-led Majority leaders allowed it up again.

It came up because the proponents gained the required number of signatures on a discharge petition...the mechanism in the House rules for bringing up legislation opposed by the leadership.

So, Hastert is not worthy of criticism in that regard.

[wita]

How did this happen. That is a rhetorical question, right? Kinda like the woman to her gynalcologist when told she was pregnant.