Where is the Senate on ENDA?
Filed by: Dr. Jillian T. Weiss
July 13, 2009 9:30 AM
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/07/where_is_the_senate_on_enda_1.php#more (http://www.bilerico.com/2009/07/where_is_the_senate_on_enda_1.php#more)
It's close. But we can do it.
As I am sure you remember from Schoolhouse Rock, it's hard to make a Bill into a Law. In order for a Bill to be presented to the President for signature, it must pass both houses of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Here it is in case you've forgotten:
As you can see from the video, even after being referred by a House Committee to a floor vote, and gaining the requisite 218 votes for passage in the House, this is not the end of the story -- far from it. The whole process must be repeated in the Senate, and then the President must sign it. The House is almost there, though more work is needed to inoculate weak-kneed Representatives for crunch time.
But the Senate -- that's going to be door-to-door combat.
Not to mention that the House and Senate tend to pass different versions of the bill, which then is kicked back to a reconciliation committee for 'adjustments.'
That and Schoolhouse Rock omitted the most important part of the process, the payoff/kickback.