[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2576 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2576

To establish an expedited procedure for congressional consideration of 
                    health care reform legislation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 24, 2004

 Mr. Feingold introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish an expedited procedure for congressional consideration of 
                    health care reform legislation.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Health Care Reform Expedited 
Procedures Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. SENATE CONSIDERATION OF HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION.

    (a) Introduction.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 30 calendar days after the 
        commencement of the first session of a Congress, the chair of 
        the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 
        the Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, the Majority 
        Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the Senate 
        shall each introduce a bill to provide universal health care 
        coverage for the people of the United States.
            (2) Minority party.--These bills may be introduced by 
        request and only 1 qualified bill may be introduced by each 
        individual referred to in paragraph (1) within a Congress. If 
        either committee chair fails to introduce the bill within the 
        30-day period, the ranking minority party member of the 
        respective committee may instead introduce a bill that will 
        qualify for the expedited procedure provided in this section.
            (3) Qualified bill.--
                    (A) In general.--In order to qualify as a qualified 
                bill--
                            (i) the title of the bill shall be ``To 
                        reform the system of the United States and to 
                        provide insurance coverage for all 
                        Americans.''; and
                            (ii) the bill shall reach the goal of 
                        providing health care coverage to 95 percent of 
                        Americans within 10 years.
                    (B) Determination.--Whether or not a bill meets the 
                criteria in subparagraph (A) shall be determined by the 
                Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, relying on 
                estimates of the Congressional Budget Office, subject 
                to the final approval of the Senate.
    (b) Referral.--
            (1) Committee bills.--Upon introduction, the bill authored 
        by the Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance shall be 
        referred to that Committee and the bill introduced by the Chair 
        of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
        Pensions shall be referred to that committee. If either 
        committee has not reported the bill referred to it (or another 
        qualified bill) by the end of a 60 calendar-day period 
        beginning on the date of referral, the committee is, as of that 
        date, automatically discharged from further consideration of 
        the bill, and the bill is placed directly on the chamber's 
        legislative calendar. In calculating the 60-day period, 
        adjournments for more than 3 days are not counted.
            (2) Leader bills.--The bills introduced by the Senate 
        Majority Leader and the Senate Minority Leader shall, on 
        introduction, be placed directly on the Senate Calendar of 
        Business.
    (c) Motion To Proceed.--
            (1) In general.--On or after the third day following the 
        committee report or discharge or upon a bill being placed on 
        the calendar under subsection (b)(2), it shall be in order for 
        any Member, after consultation with the Majority Leader, to 
        move to proceed to the consideration of any qualified bill. 
        Notice shall first be given before proceeding. This motion to 
        proceed to the consideration of a bill can be offered by a 
        Member only on the day after the calendar day on which the 
        Member announces his or her intention to offer it.
            (2) Consideration.--The motion to proceed to a given 
        qualified bill can be made even if a motion to the same effect 
        has previously been rejected. No more than 3 such motions may 
        be made, however, in any 1 congressional session.
            (3) Privileged and nondebatable.--The motion to proceed is 
        privileged, and all points of order against the motion to 
        proceed to consideration and its consideration are waived. The 
        motion is not debatable, is not amendable, and is not subject 
        to a motion to postpone.
            (4) No other business or reconsideration.--The motion is 
        not subject to a motion to proceed to the consideration of 
        other business. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the 
        motion to proceed is agreed to or disagreed to is not in order.
    (d) Consideration of Qualified Bill.--
            (1) In general.--If the motion to proceed is adopted, the 
        chamber shall immediately proceed to the consideration of a 
        qualified bill without intervening motion, order, or other 
        business, and the bill remains the unfinished business of the 
        Senate until disposed of. A motion to limit debate is in order 
        and is not debatable.
            (2) Only business.--The qualified bill is not subject to a 
        motion to postpone or a motion to proceed to the consideration 
        of other business before the bill is disposed of.
            (3) Relevant amendments.--Only relevant amendments may be 
        offered to the bill.

SEC. 3. HOUSE CONSIDERATION OF HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION.

    (a) Introduction.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 30 calendar days after the 
        commencement of the first session of a Congress, the chair of 
        the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the chair of the 
        House Committee on Ways and Means, the Majority Leader of the 
        House, and the Minority Leader of the House shall each 
        introduce a bill to provide universal health care coverage for 
        the people of the United States.
            (2) Minority party.--These bills may be introduced by 
        request and only 1 qualified bill may be introduced by each 
        individual referred to in paragraph (1) within a Congress. If 
        either committee chair fails to introduce the bill within the 
        30-day period, the ranking minority party member of the 
        respective committee may, within the following 30 days, instead 
        introduce a bill that will qualify for the expedited procedure 
        provided in this section.
            (3) Qualified bill.--
                    (A) In general.--To qualify for the expedited 
                procedure under this section as a qualified bill, the 
                bill shall reach the goal of providing healthcare 
                coverage to 95 percent of Americans within 10 years.
                    (B) Determination.--Whether or not a bill meets the 
                criteria in subparagraph (A) shall be determined by the 
                Speaker's ruling on a point of order based on a 
                Congressional Budget Office estimate of the bill.
    (b) Referral.--
            (1) Committee bills.--Upon introduction, the bill authored 
        by the Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce will 
        be referred to that committee and the bill introduced by the 
        Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means shall be 
        referred to that committee. If either committee has not 
        reported the bill referred to it (or another qualified bill) by 
        the end of 60 days of consideration beginning on the date of 
        referral, the committee shall be automatically discharged from 
        further consideration of the bill, and the bill shall be placed 
        directly on the Calendar of the Whole House on the State of the 
        Union. In calculating the 60-day period, adjournments for more 
        than 3 days are not counted.
            (2) Leader bills.--The bills introduced by the House 
        Majority Leader and House Minority Leader will, on 
        introduction, be placed directly on the Calendar of the Whole 
        House on the State of the Union.
    (c) Motion To Proceed.--
            (1) In general.--On or after the third day following the 
        committee report or discharge or upon a bill being placed on 
        the calendar under subsection (b)(2), it shall be in order for 
        any Member, after consultation with the Majority Leader, to 
        move to proceed to the consideration of any qualified bill. 
        Notice must first be given before proceeding. This motion to 
        proceed to the consideration of a bill can be offered by a 
        Member only on the day after the calendar day on which the 
        Member announces his or her intention to offer it.
            (2) Consideration.--The motion to proceed to a given 
        qualified bill can be made even if a motion to the same effect 
        has previously been rejected. No more than 3 such motions may 
        be made, however, in any 1 congressional session.
            (3) Privileged and nondebatable.--The motion to proceed is 
        privileged, and all points of order against the motion to 
        proceed to consideration and its consideration are waived. The 
        motion is not debatable, is not amendable, and is not subject 
        to a motion to postpone.
            (4) No other business or reconsideration.--The motion is 
        not subject to a motion to proceed to the consideration of 
        other business. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the 
        motion to proceed is agreed to or disagreed to is not in order.
    (d) Consideration of a Qualified Bill.--
            (1) In general.--If the motion to proceed is adopted, the 
        chamber will immediately proceed to the consideration of a 
        qualified bill without intervening motion, order, or other 
        business, and the bill remains the unfinished business of the 
        House until disposed of.
            (2) Committee of the whole.--The bill will be considered in 
        the Committee of the Whole under the 5-minute rule, and the 
        bill shall be considered as read and open for amendment at any 
        time.
            (3) Limit debate.--A motion to further limit debate is in 
        order and is not debatable.
            (4) Relevant amendments.--Only relevant amendments may be 
        offered to the bill.
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