Key House Democrats late Wednesday night said they have serious reservations about a patent reform bill

House members on Wednesday night engaged in a rare debate over the constitutionality of proposed legislation, one that split the usual party alliances and revealed a surprising array of differences over how to interpret the Constitution.

Members began debate on H.R. 1249, a bill that would mark the first major overhaul of U.S. patent laws in several decades. Because of numerous concerns over the constitutionality of the main piece of the bill, members agreed to hold a separate debate on this issue before starting general debate on the bill.

The Senate on Thursday will resume consideration of S. 679, a bill to streamline the presidential appointment process, and is expected to vote around noon on amendments offered by Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Jim DeMint (R-SC).

The House on Wednesday night approved H.R. 2021, which would make it easier to obtain Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drilling permits by requiring permitting decisions to be made within six months and easing certain environmental standards.

The bill was approved in a 253-166 vote in which 23 Democrats joined all but two Republicans.

The House Wednesday evening rejected all 10 Democratic amendments that were offered to legislation aimed at easing the offshore oil and gas drilling permitting process at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The bill, H.R. 2021, speeds up the timeframe for making decisions on permit applications and makes several changes that ease the environmental standards associated with offshore drilling. Democrats tried to attack most of the main elements of the bill, but each failed:

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) offered an amendment to S. 679 Wednesday preserving Senate confirmation for federal chief financial officers.

Portman, a former director of the Office of Management and Budget, called it "unwise" and a "big mistake" to eliminate the chamber's advise-and-consent role with respect to major departmental CFO positions during a time of fiscal hardship. 

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) clarified Wednesday that his resolution supporting the U.S. action in Libya does not authorize the use of ground troops.

"The intent of this resolution is to authorize only the … continuation of the very limited mission in Libya that is a support role and does not include the use of U.S. ground forces," he said. 

House Democrats on Wednesday argued that a Republican bill aimed at speeding up oil drilling off Alaska’s coast would weaken Environmental Protection Agency air pollution controls in wide swaths of the country's offshore areas.

"This legislation will have wide-ranging impacts beyond the Arctic Ocean," House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said on the House floor. "The states of California and Delaware have grave concerns about the impact of this bill on their ability to protect public health and welfare from air pollution. In fact, this bill could affect every state on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts."

Members of the House on Wednesday rejected a bill to end the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which Republicans said would save $33 million over five years by eliminating a commission that's primary purpose has been achieved.

Members voted 235-187 in favor of the bill, which was not enough to ensure passage under a suspension of House rules. Suspension votes require the support of two-thirds of all voting members. Every voting Republican supported it, and every voting Democrat opposed it.