Rule Committee moves healthcare bill to floor

[cal04]

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/88073-rule-committee-moves-healthcare-bill-to-the-house-floor
More at link

In a vote of 8-5 late Saturday night, the House Rules Committee voted to send the healthcare bill to the floor for a Sunday vote.

Democratic Rep. Mike Arcuri (N.Y.) was the only committee member to break party ranks.

Arcuri is also a firm "no" vote against the health bill. "After several meetings and conversations with the president, Speaker of the House, administration officials and colleagues, I am not convinced enough changes can be made to the Senate health care bill to meet the needs of the people in my district," he had said in his Thursday statement announcing his vote.

Here is the text of the rule:

Senate Amendments to H.R. 3590 - the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act"

Rules Committee Sets Terms of Debate
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/rules-committee-sets-terms-of-debate/

(snip)
Under the rule approved by the committee shortly before midnight, the House will spend two hours debating both the Senate health bill and a budget reconciliation measure that includes revisions to the Senate bill.

(snip)
The committee did give Democrats an escape hatch, allowing for the proceedings to be postponed at the discretion of the speaker.


House Rules Committee has cleared the way for a vote on health care legislation tomorrow by the full House.
CSPAN twitter: http://twitter.com/cspan/statuses/10804427145



http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34742.html#ixzz0imajrGYW
A round of late-night negotiations held the promise of further cracking Stupak's coalition with a proposed executive order that would reinforce the bill's ban on federal subsidies for the purchase of insurance plans that cover abortion.

The talks, led by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), were expected to continue deep into the night after a rare and wild Saturday House session that featured a visit from President Barack Obama to a Democratic Caucus meeting and a frenzied Tea Party-style protest against the bill and Democratic leaders on the Capitol grounds.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Thank you for reporting this vital move.

It is an important step...

[quiet.american]

2. Wow. What is Arcuri's district.

I guess for the folks in his district, their insurance companies can't drop them, hike their rates, deny them because of pre-existing conditions, or cap their coverage. And I also guess everyone in the district feels their premiums are priced just right. Oh, and no one must have ANY problems with student loans. His district must be on all the "Best Places to Live in America" lists.