[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 185 (Thursday, December 10, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S12836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, following leader marks, the Senate will 
resume consideration of H.R. 3590, the health care reform legislation. 
The time until 1 p.m. today will be equally divided and controlled and 
will be for debate only, with the time until 11 a.m. controlled between 
the two leaders or their designees and the remaining time controlled in 
30-minute alternating blocks. The majority will control the first block 
and Republicans will control the next. Senators will be permitted to 
speak for up to 10 minutes each.
  I expect the House of Representatives to send a conference report to 
the Senate this afternoon. When it arrives, we will consider it. If 
cloture needs to be invoked, the Senate will have to be in session this 
weekend for a Saturday vote and a Sunday vote in order to complete 
action on these bills. This bill includes the bills we have tried to 
complete. We have been held up by the minority on these bills, but we 
have made progress. The first will be the Transportation appropriations 
bill, Commerce-Justice-Science, Military Construction, Labor-HHS, 
financial services, and State-Foreign Operations. That would leave the 
only remaining bill to be the Defense appropriations bill, which we 
will do sometime before the end of the year. We hope we can get word 
from the Republicans today what they want to do. Whatever they want to 
do, it is in their hands.
  Everyone should understand that procedurally, no one can stop us from 
moving to the appropriations bills. It is bipartisan. We have worked 
closely with Republicans on this matter. We automatically go off the 
health care bill when we get on this. We are waiting for the score to 
come back from the Congressional Budget Office. There isn't a lot we 
can do until we get that done, which would be next week. So no time is 
lost on health care. We have to complete our work for the year anyway. 
So we have to do this bill.
  Whenever we hear from the Republicans, Senators will know what their 
schedules can be. We could complete our work today and come back and 
work something out so that we can have a Monday vote. But whatever the 
Republicans want, we will be happy to cooperate with them--I shouldn't 
say whatever they want.

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