Open to health bill fast-track, Pryor says
By The Associated Press
This article was originally published March 10, 2010 at 2:07 p.m. Updated March 10, 2010 at 4:05 p.m.
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HEALTH CARE INTERACTIVES
Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor said Wednesday he is open to passing health care changes with a simple majority in the Senate, but that he would prefer a more bipartisan victory.
“It’s not my first choice, but under the circumstances I’ll consider it,” the Arkansas senator told reporters in a conference call.
Democratic leaders are looking at a two-step approach in which the House approves a Senate-passed bill from last year, despite House Democrats’ opposition to several provisions. Both houses would then need to approve a companion measure to make changes in the first bill.
The companion measure could pass under reconciliation rules allowing for a simple majority vote in the Senate, thereby skirting Republican opposition.
Senate Republicans — who hold 41 of the Senate’s 100 seats — have been using filibuster rules forcing Democrats to garner 60 votes. Democrats hold 59 seats in the Senate.
A spokesman for Pryor said that he would prefer to pass the legislation with a supermajority.
The Senate passed its version of the health care bill on Christmas Eve with a supermajority of 60 votes, which squelched a GOP filibuster without resorting to reconciliation rules.
“I think what we’re talking about today is a very slimmed-down version of reconciliation. ... It’s a little different variation from what reconciliation has been used for in the past,” Pryor said. “In fact, it’s a much more narrow and targeted version of reconciliation than we’ve used in the past.”
Pryor said he wouldn’t say for certain if he would support the process until he saw what was in the companion measure.
Fellow Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas on Tuesday insisted she is opposed to the simple majority vote, despite saying she wanted to see what is in the legislation.
Lincoln faces a tough primary challenge from Democratic Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, who told reporters that he supports using the simple majority process to pass health care reforms. Halter, however, has said he would have to see the package of changes being written to accompany the Senate bill before saying whether he could support it.
Eight Republicans are running for the GOP nomination to challenge Lincoln. The party primaries are on May 18.
Comments on: Open to health bill fast-track, Pryor says
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thuggetter says... March 12, 2010 at 9:58 a.m.
Pryor is just another corrupt dem that needs to be sent packing. He got into office on his daddy's name and has earned the right to be sent home come Nov. 2012. He thinks everyone will forget how he votes by 2012....
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DefendUrRights says... March 14, 2010 at 12:47 p.m.
States with Democratic Representatives and Senators:
That you would elect a representative, send them to the White House, and then have them blindly and sheep-like do whatever a green, ill-prepared, failure of a liberal, American-hating president told them to do is unthinkable.
You don't want this horrendous bill - yet your representative will deliberately throw your vote back in your face...telling you that you don't know what is best for you - and that they do what THEY want, once in office.
You need to teach them how to represent and make believers out of them. Give them one chance to toe the line as your representative - then vote for someone with less of an ego and more respect for their constituents.
Call your representative and senator and tell them to vote this fiasco down. Then become active in removing them and replacing him or her with someone worthy if they continue with their self-destructive course.
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HopeChangeObey says... March 14, 2010 at 2:04 p.m.
They will only hear the ballet box, then it will be soo to late.
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