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Part seven of the continuing saga of H.R.3590.

On December 21 at 1:08 AM EST, the Senate voted to invoke cloture on H.R. 3590. This means they have decided to cut off further debate and vote on whether to pass the health reform bill, still known under it’s original title as the “Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009”, but amended to read: “ Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”.

This means the fifteen amendments and the agreed to tabling motions will stand. The remaining 459 amendments that were submitted will not be debated. There are, however, two additional new amendments that were submitted and agreed to as part of the motion to invoke cloture. They are: S.AMDT.3276, the so called “Manager’s Amendment”, introduced by Harry Reid, and S.AMDT.3277, an amendment as seen below, that directs the bill start date to be five days after it becomes an act by presidential signature.

S.AMDT.3276 contains the language directing the “compromise” on women’s rights over their bodies regarding abortion.  It also contains the language on Medicaid disbursement by the Federal Government for new Medicaid patients. There is an intriguing reference to ARRA on page 13500, which might mean something if they decide to extend it.

S.AMDT.3276 was only available on the Congressional Record pages, so I have cut, pasted and printed the pages to .pdf to produce the document S.AMDT.3276.  As with any pdf document it is keyword searchable. For your info, in the Record, 39 pages were used, however, when I printed it to .pdf, it took 178 pages.

The final vote, possibly turning this thing into an act, may come today.

Manager’s Amendment

S.AMDT.3276

Amends: H.R.3590, S.AMDT.2786

Amendments to this amendment: S.AMDT.3277

Sponsor: Sen Reid, Harry [NV] (submitted 12/19/2009) (proposed 12/19/2009)

AMENDMENT PURPOSE:

To improve the bill.

TEXT OF AMENDMENT AS SUBMITTED: CR S13490-13529

STATUS:

12/19/2009:

Amendment SA 3276 proposed by Senator Reid to Amendment SA 2786. (consideration: CR S13477-13478)

12/19/2009:

Cloture motion on amendment SA 3276 presented in Senate. (consideration: CR S13477-13478; text: S13477-13478)

12/20/2009:

Considered by Senate.

12/21/2009:

Considered by Senate.

12/21/2009:

Cloture on amendment SA 3276 invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 60 – 40. Record Vote Number: 385.

COSPONSORS(3):

Sen Baucus, Max [MT] – 12/19/2009

Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] – 12/19/2009

Sen Harkin, Tom [IA] – 12/19/2009

Enactment Date Amendment

S.AMDT.3277

Amends: H.R.3590 , S.AMDT.3276

Sponsor: Sen Reid, Harry [NV] (submitted 12/19/2009) (proposed 12/19/2009)

AMENDMENT PURPOSE:

To change the enactment date.

TEXT OF AMENDMENT AS SUBMITTED: CR S13529

STATUS:

12/19/2009:

Amendment SA 3277 proposed by Senator Reid to Amendment SA 3276. (consideration: CR S13478; text: CR S13478)

12/20/2009:

Considered by Senate.

12/21/2009:

Considered by Senate.

SA 3277. Mr. REID proposed an amendment to amendment SA 3276 proposed by Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Dodd, and Mr. Harkin) to the amendment SA 2786 proposed by Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Dodd, and Mr. Harkin) to the bill H.R. 3590, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes; as follows:

At the end of the amendment, add the following:

The provisions of this Act shall become effective 5 days after enactment.

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Part 6 of the continuing saga of H. R. 3590, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Today, one motion to table was agreed to by a vote of 56 yeas, 41 nays and 3 not voting.:

Question:

On the Motion to Table (Motion to Table Hutchison Motion to Commit H.R. 3590 to the Committee on Finance )

There are now FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR submitted amendments. Less the 15 amendments that have been dispensed; that leaves FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY NINE amendments to go.

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Today’s installment of the continuing saga of H.R. 3950.

We left off on the 8th with the tabling of the Nelson amendment. In fact,  three additional events occurred on the 8th. The first two items were introduced to the floor but have not been acted upon. They are: The Dorgan modified amendment and a motion by Senator Crapo to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance. The third item was acted upon, and a unanimous agreement was reached to devote a specified time to debate.

(As it reads below, the “Pending” Reid amendment refers to the approved amendment, which ordered  H.R. 3950 to lie on the table and changed it from the home ownership bill to the health reform bill. It is now the bill around which all action is occurring.)

On December 8th the Daily Digest reported the following:

Pending:

Reid Amendment No. 2786, in the nature of a substitute.

Page S12648

Dorgan Modified Amendment No. 2793 (to Amendment No. 2786), to provide for the importation of prescription drugs.

Pages S12685-88

Crapo motion to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance, with instructions.

Page S12685

A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing for further consideration of the bill at approximately 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, and that following any remarks of the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Finance, or their designees, for up to 10 minutes each, the next two hours be for debate only, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each; the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes, and the Majority controlling the second 30 minutes; with the remaining time equally divided and used in alternating fashion; provided further, that no amendments are in order during this time.

Page S12742

Measures Considered:

Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act–Agreement: Senate continued consideration of H.R. 3590, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto:

Pages S12745-99

On December 9th the Daily Digest reported the following:

Pending:

Reid Amendment No. 2786, in the nature of a substitute.

Page S12745

Dorgan Modified Amendment No. 2793 (to Amendment No. 2786), to provide for the importation of prescription drugs.

Pages S12745, S12753-99

Crapo motion to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance, with instructions.

Page S12745

A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing for further consideration of the bill at approximately 10 a.m., on Thursday, December 10, 2009, that following Leader remarks the time until 1 p.m., be for debate only and equally divided, with the time until 11 a.m. controlled between the two Leaders, or their designees; with the remaining time until 1 p.m. controlled in alternating 30-minute blocks of time with the Majority controlling the first block and the Republicans controlling the next block.

Page S12833

As you may have figured out these two days look pretty much identical, except the page numbers are different. That’s where all the rhetoric in the Senate Chamber is occurring. The Daily Digest is recording them. It truly is remarkable that so many mostly men can spend so much time exhorting, day in and day out.

If you want to see what they are saying go HERE.

Look to the right under Floor Schedule and click on the link that says Daily Digest. Scroll down to the part that says:

[Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act–Agreement:  Senate continued consideration of H.R. 3590, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto:

Pages S12745-99]

Click on “Pages s12745-99”.

That takes you to:

Pages S12745-S12799

1 . HEALTH CARE: IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESS — (Senate – December 09, 2009)

2 . RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME — (Senate – December 09, 2009)

3 . SERVICE MEMBERS HOME OWNERSHIP TAX ACT OF 2009 — (Senate – December 09, 2009)

4 . RECESS — (Senate – December 09, 2009)

5 . SERVICEMEMBERS HOME OWNERSHIP TAX ACT OF 2009–Continued — (Senate – December 09, 2009)

6 . MORNING BUSINESS — (Senate – December 09, 2009)

7 . CLIMATE CHANGE — (Senate – December 09, 2009)

#1, 3 and 5 are the debate indexes. Check them out. For example Senator Graham is on page s12791, and talks about Obama’s mandate to have the debate on C-Span for transparency. He does some finger pointing at Senator Reid’s announcement that Democrats have been working off camera to reach the “broad Consensus” reported yesterday in the media.

Senator McConnell, earlier in the day on page s12744, essentially threatens the Democrats with the recent election in New Jersey:

There is a new development. Just yesterday–just yesterday in my home State–there was a special election for the State senate. Why would that be worthy of commentary on the Senate floor? Let me describe the situation. It is a 3-to-1 Democratic district. Because of State issues, the Democratic State administration was intensely interested in winning that seat. They spent $1 million cumulatively–the candidate, the Democratic State party, and an outside interest group–in support of the Democrat–$1 million on one side of a State senate race in a rural area of my State.

On the other side was a Republican candidate, who was outspent 5 to 1–outspent 5 to 1 in a 3-to-1 Democratic district. The Republican candidate for the State senate won by 12 points. How did that happen? He had one message–one message: oppose the Reid bill, oppose what PELOSI is doing, oppose what the Democrats in Washington are doing.

And on it goes. By the way, the number of proposed amendments to this bill now submitted for review is up to THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN!!!

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The continuing saga of H.R. 3590.

Members of the Senate have now submitted 150 amendments to H.R. 3590, including approved S.AMDT.2786, which changed the name of the bill to the PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AMERICANS, and substituted the health care text for that of the original bill involving homeownership. As you may recall that amendment was approved on November 21st when the motion for cloture was agreed to.

Since that time the following additional five amendments have been approved, one amended amendment has been approved and one has been tabled:

S.AMDT.2791 – Mikulski Amdt. 2791 As Amended (by AMDT.2808.); To clarify provisions relating to first dollar coverage for preventive services for women.

S.AMDT.2826 – Bennet Amdt. No. 2826; To protect and improve guaranteed Medicare benefits.

S.AMDT.2870 – Whitehouse Amdt. No. 2870; To promote fiscal responsibility by protecting the Social Security surplus and CLASS program savings in this Act.

S.AMDT. 2899 – Stabenow Amdt. No. 2899; To ensure that there is no reduction or elimination of any benefits guaranteed by law to participants in Medicare Advantage plans.

S.AMDT.2926  – Kerry Amdt No. 2926; To protect home health benefits.

S.AMDT.2939 – Pryor Amdt. No. 2939; To require the Secretary to provide information regarding enrollee satisfaction with qualified health plans offered through an Exchange through the Internet portal.

And one motion to successful tabling of an amendment S.AMDT.2963 – Motion to Table Nelson Amdt. No. 2962; to prohibit the use of Federal funds for abortions.

On the other side, the following five amendments have been rejected and 4 motions have been rejected:

S.AMDT.2836 – Murkowski Amdt. No. 2836; To ensure patients receive doctor recommendations for preventive health services, including mammograms and cervical cancer screening, without interference from government or insurance company bureaucrats.

S.AMDT.2901 – Thune Amdt. No. 2901; To eliminate new entitlement programs and limit the government control over the health care of American families.

S.AMDT.2905 – Lincoln Amdt. No. 2905; To modify the limit on excessive remuneration paid by certain health insurance providers to set the limit at the same levels as the salary of the President of the United States.

S.AMDT.2927 – Ensign Amdt. No. 2927; Relative to limitation on amount of attorneys contingency fees.

S.AMDT.2942 – Gregg Amdt. No. 2942; To prevent Medicare from being raided for new entitlements and to use Medicare savings to save Medicare.

McCain Motion to Commit H.R. 3590 to the Committee on Finance; Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009.

Hatch Motion to Commit H.R. 3590 to the Committee on Finance; Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009

Johanns Motion to Commit to the Committee on Finance; Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009

McCain Motion to Commit H.R. 3590 to the Committee on Finance; Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009.

As you can see, with only twelve amendments dispensed out of one hundred and fifty, the battle and debate for our national health care is not done. It seems a little unrealistic for Reid to say they will be done by the Holiday Break- but hey, he’s the expert.

Senator Boxer’s successful push to get the “Nelson Abortion” abortion tabled , was tremendous. It might take some of the pressure off. HERE is the vote:

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs —54
Akaka (D-HI)Baucus (D-MT)

Begich (D-AK)

Bennet (D-CO)

Bingaman (D-NM)

Boxer (D-CA)

Brown (D-OH)

Burris (D-IL)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Cardin (D-MD)

Carper (D-DE)

Collins (R-ME)

Dodd (D-CT)

Durbin (D-IL)

Feingold (D-WI)

Feinstein (D-CA)

Franken (D-MN)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Hagan (D-NC)Harkin (D-IA)

Inouye (D-HI)

Johnson (D-SD)

Kerry (D-MA)

Kirk (D-MA)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Kohl (D-WI)

Landrieu (D-LA)

Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Leahy (D-VT)

Levin (D-MI)

Lieberman (ID-CT)

Lincoln (D-AR)

McCaskill (D-MO)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Merkley (D-OR)

Mikulski (D-MD)

Murray (D-WA)Nelson (D-FL)

Reed (D-RI)

Reid (D-NV)

Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sanders (I-VT)

Schumer (D-NY)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Snowe (R-ME)

Specter (D-PA)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Tester (D-MT)

Udall (D-CO)

Udall (D-NM)

Warner (D-VA)

Webb (D-VA)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs —45
Alexander (R-TN)Barrasso (R-WY)

Bayh (D-IN)

Bennett (R-UT)

Bond (R-MO)

Brownback (R-KS)

Bunning (R-KY)

Burr (R-NC)

Casey (D-PA)

Chambliss (R-GA)

Coburn (R-OK)

Cochran (R-MS)

Conrad (D-ND)

Corker (R-TN)

Cornyn (R-TX)

Crapo (R-ID)DeMint (R-SC)

Dorgan (D-ND)

Ensign (R-NV)

Enzi (R-WY)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Gregg (R-NH)

Hatch (R-UT)

Hutchison (R-TX)

Inhofe (R-OK)

Isakson (R-GA)

Johanns (R-NE)

Kaufman (D-DE)

Kyl (R-AZ)

LeMieux (R-FL)Lugar (R-IN)

McCain (R-AZ)

McConnell (R-KY)

Murkowski (R-AK)

Nelson (D-NE)

Pryor (D-AR)

Risch (R-ID)

Roberts (R-KS)

Sessions (R-AL)

Shelby (R-AL)

Thune (R-SD)

Vitter (R-LA)

Voinovich (R-OH)

Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting – 1
Byrd (D-WV)

If you want to know more go HERE.

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-UPDATE-090106

It looks like the challange is on. Ron Coleman has filed suit challenging the contest. He is throwing an entire noodle bowl of points at the court in hopes something will stick, HERE.

 

Love him or hate him, it’s official! Except, it’s not quite. read the link. The “certification” will only stand if Coleman doesn’t challange.

Politico.com Breaking News:
—————————————————–

The Minnesota Canvassing Board certified that Al Franken defeated Sen. Norm Coleman by 225 votes in the closely-contested Minnesota Senate race.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0109/Franken_declared_winner_over_Coleman.html

PUMA, The New Agenda, 4ERA, 51 Percent

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-UPDATE-

090103 – The roosters are staring each other down,with Burris filing suit against IL Secretary White, and threats that the Senate security won’t let him into the chamber next week.  Obama apparently is not reluctant to give his opinion either. That’s if you call it one. He would have been better off saying nothing. If Burris is a “fine man and good public servant”, he is essentially saying Burris didn’t buy the seat. If so,  who cares if Blagojevich sent him?

 

Politico.com Breaking News:
The Chicago Tribune reports that embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will name former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

 http://www.politico.com

Lynn Sweet raises an interesting note. Burris is African American and will be, if confirmed, only the fourth senator as such. Three of the four have come from Illinois. There is no doubt he has the chops; will he be able to sidestep the Blago doo doo? You have the believe Burris thinks so, or he would not have accepted the appointment.

 

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

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Wiki says:

“Senator Feinstein holds a number of “firsts”; she was the first female President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, San Francisco’s first female mayor, the first woman to serve in the Senate from California, one of two female Jewish senators (both of whom represent California), the first woman to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee.”

While many of our eyes are focused on what’s happening with Kennedy, another event has unfolded. Dianne Feinstein is up to run the Senate Intelligence Committee! Out here in the land of the golden sunsets, we knew she was toying with a Governors run, and that would have been a pretty easy jaunt.

No doubt she has chosen the harder road. 

Feinstein gets nod to chair intelligence panel

Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

(12-16) 04:00 PST Washington –

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been tapped as the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday, a post that would give her immense clout over U.S. intelligence agencies and the power to shape policies on wiretapping and the treatment of detainees.

Feinstein’s promotion was welcome news for other state Democrats, as well as Republicans who plan to run for governor in 2010. The 75-year-old senator has flirted with the idea of running for governor but has told friends and allies she would be unlikely to make a bid if she got the top post on the intelligence panel.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/15/MNBV14OHE5.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1

She deserves this appointment. She is exceedingly well equipped for the job.It’s going to put her right in the crosshairs, however, regarding FISA, and the Patriot Act. If you can’t remember how she voted on those particular items, check the Wiki linked to her name above.

Congratulations Dianne! Hope your ankle is healed.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

 

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First a little background information:

Elizabeth Ames Jones, a Repub, has filed for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate seat. (more…)

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