Harkin says Senate will work weekends this December on health

[laughingliberal]

Source: The Hill

The chairman of a key Senate committee overseeing healthcare reform said Monday that the chamber will work every weekend in December to pass the bill by Christmas.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, predicted during an interview on the liberal "Bill Press Radio Show" that the Senate will have the 60 votes needed to call up the healthcare bill this week. But Harkin said senators will not begin amending the legislation until after the Thanksgiving break.

Harkin said Democrats expect Republicans will try to stall the debate by asking for the entire bill to be read on the Senate floor. If that happens, Harkin said, the majority party is likely to use a procedural maneuver to keep the Senate in session this weekend.

"If the Republicans want to stay here this Saturday and Sunday to read the bill, then let them stay here," Harkin said, adding that Democrats would hold a "live quorum," where the sergeant at arms requests the presence of all absent senators.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/67905-sen-harkin-says-senate-will-work-weekends-in-december

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Yay! for Tom Harkin

[napi21]

1. I find this more amusing, but I thought they had already contacted

that speed reader to read the bill if the dimwitts insisted on it.

[Algorem]

2. spending weekends with D.C. 'massage therapists' is not "working on health"

does keep you from having to fly home to the old ball and chain,though

[laughingliberal]

3. Perhaps, except for this part:

<snip>"I'll tell you, we're going to do something like that," Harkin said. "We are planning to do something that would require Republicans to be there 24 hours a day, and if they leave the floor, we'll ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading, and that'll be the end of it."<snip>

So, apparently, leaving to see the massage therapist would result in dispensing with the reading on which the Republicans are insisting.

[tonysam]

4. And now they will take off Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and

part of Friday so they get in their 2 1/2 day week.