Legislative Debate

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said on the floor today that the Senate should consider a resolution that asks the Supreme Court for an expedited review of last year's healthcare overhaul. Nelson has already introduced the resolution, which he said would help prevent fighting over the law in the years ahead.

"We ought to do the right thing and ask the high court to rule quickly so we don’t keep arguing over this for the next several years," Nelson said today.

Nelson added that his preference is to fix the law, not repeal it. Later today, the Senate will vote on a Republican repeal measure.

Sen. Mikulski criticizes GOP, says Democrats once couldn't "get a Kleenex" without a CBO score for GOP approval.

The Senate will convene today at 10 a.m., and after a much-anticipated speech from new Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will continue to work on an agreement on how to dispose of more than a dozen amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill.

Votes are expected on at least two high-profile amendments, according to an agreement reached by Senate leaders from both parties yesterday. The big amendment is from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), S.A. 13, which would repeal last year's healthcare law. Democrats are expected to raise a point of order against that amendment, and that point of order is likely to be sustained.

The Senate this week seems closer than ever to approving a repeal of 1099 language in last year's healthcare law.

Today's afternoon debate on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill has turned into a debate over healthcare in anticipation of votes on the law's repeal sometime tomorrow.

"All of the sudden, here we are on health," Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) this afternoon. He spoke at length on the FAA bill early this afternoon, only to have debate shift to healthcare after Senate leaders said they would consider both a healthcare repeal bill and a 1099 repeal bill as amendments.

Rockefeller himself took to the floor just after 4:30 p.m. to talk about healthcare rather than the mostly non-controversial FAA bill. He said that far from resenting the sudden shift, he thinks it shows that the Senate is operating openly because it is allowing members to bring up issues they care about.

Senate leaders today decided to take up two healthcare amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill. The first, from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), would repeal last year's healthcare law, and the second, from Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), would repeal language that increases the tax filing burden on small companies.

McConnell and Stabenow spoke shortly after 3 p.m. today on their two amendments. McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) interrupted debate on the FAA bill in order to mention the two amendments.

The Stabenow bill could be approved, since both parties have agreed to repeal of the so-called 1099 tax reporting requirement. But McConnell's amendment is highly likely to fail in a party-line vote. Democrats are expected to raise a point of order against the amendment, and a vote could occur by Wednesday.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) introduced a bill last night that would delay the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act, and in a lengthy accompanying statement, sounded like many of the Republicans who have opposed the EPA on CO2.

"One thing we should never do is put the fate of an entire industry into the hands of the Environmental Protection Agency," Rockefeller said in remarks submitted for the Congressional Record.

Rockefeller was criticizing the EPA's new policy of regulating CO2 for expanding factories. He said it will hurt U.S. job creation and warned that the EPA will soon seek to regulate CO2 in all factories, even those that are not planning to expand. 

The Senate adjourned tonight until Monday at 2 p.m., when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he hopes the chamber can take up a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill, S. 223.

Reid said there is "no reason" the Senate cannot begin work on that bill Monday. He said this is an "extremely important piece of legislation," and that it will "at a minimum" create 100,000 U.S. jobs through airport infrastructure improvements.

He said the bill, sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), also would include a passengers bill of rights and help improve air safety. Coming off today's changes to Senate procedural rules, Reid noted that Democrats will make room for Republican amendments, and said it's "time for a good old-fashioned Senate debate."

Before adjourning, Reid asked that three non-controversial resolutions, S.Res. 31-33, be considered as passed.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) this week introduced bills to fill the first 10 slots in the 112th Congress, and in doing so indicated his priorities for the year.

Reid's success in passing them will depend on the Democrats' ability to work with the 47 Republicans, and also on the texts of the bills, none of which have been released.

Reid does have titles:

S. 1 — American Competitiveness Act

S. 2 — Middle Class Success Act

S. 3 — Fiscal Responsibility and Spending Control Act

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) is the first defection; he voted against party on ending publicly financed campaigns.