Senator Conrad: Reconciliation Bill is 'Completely Clean'

[flpoljunkie]

March 23, 2010

Conrad: Bill is "completely clean"

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said he will submit a statement into the Congressional Record that the health care reconciliation bill contains nothing that would be subject to the Byrd Rule.

"We find nothing that constitutes a Byrd Rule violation," Conrad told reporters. "We think the bill is completely clean."

This is one of the formalities associated with the reconciliation process -- a statement by the Budget Committee chairman of his review of the bill.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), the ranking member on the Budget Committee, and other Senate Republicans beg to differ. But that is what the floor debate is about.

Conrad said about 25 percent of the bill was removed before it hit the House floor Sunday to avoid potential challenges in the Senate.

"We have spent an extraordinary amount of time going over this and bringing it the attention to the House," he said. "The House took out every single thing we told them."

Posted by Carrie Budoff Brown 02:32 PM

[vaberella]

1. I agree with this. n/t

[harun]

2. The House sure bent over backwards for the Senate on this bill.

Would be nice to see some capitulation in the future.