This week, Reid began a Rule 14 process on the House health care bill. What that means is the bill is available on the legislative calendar by Tuesday, November 17. It does not mean the Senate will actually proceed to health care.
Because a tax bill cannot originate in the Senate, Reid needed a shell to use to proceed to his health care bill. He is using the House-passed version as a shell to move on the Senate’s health care bill. Rule 14 was the easiest way to place the House bill on the calendar -- the shell that will ultimately be fully substituted by the Harrycare bill.
The Senate must still complete Military Construction Appropriations and a cloture motion has been filed on the nomination of David Hamilton to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. In order to immediately begin consideration of the health care bill, Reid must have a unanimous consent agreement, which is unlikely.
Without unanimous consent, Reid is forced to file for cloture on Tuesday. The vote on the Motion to Proceed to the health care bill could not occur until Thursday morning at the earliest.
There are also 30 hours of post-cloture debate that, if used, would delay any adoption of a Motion to Proceed until Friday afternoon which would then be the earliest Reid could offer the actual Senate bill as a substitute amendment. This would be the Friday before the week-long Thanksgiving recess.
SOURCE: Human Events
