Floor amendments. Why can't the Baucrap Bill be re-written on the floor?

[endarkenment]

floor amendment - An amendment offered by an individual Senator from the floor during consideration of a bill or other measure, in contrast to a committee amendment.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/floor_amendment.htm

[rubberducky]

1. Why are they wasting so much time on 1 bill, when there are other bills?

[endarkenment]

2. Another great question.

Why not the HELP bill instead?

[SpartanDem]

6. Finance has jurdisticion over parts that HELP doesn't

Medicare/Medicaide in addition to any revenue issues. So finance has to weigh in, now they didn't have to write their own entire bill they could've simply added their parts to the HELP bill. That is what happened in the House were Education and Labor, Way and Means and Energy and Commerce all used the same base bill for markups

[rockymountaindem]

4. Because this is the one bill in that one (finance) committee

It's the only thing they're dealing with right now in the finance committee. Once they pass something, anything, out of there we can get down to real work.

[Pab Sungenis]

3. If another Democrat comes out and joins Rockefeller (like they should)

then this can be all over with. Just vote to kill the Baucus Bill and let it die in committee. Then bring the Kennedy (HELP) bill to the floor.

[Pirate Smile]

5. A Public Option will be offered on the floor if one isn't included when the HELP Bill and Baucus

Bill are combined.

This is a long process. The Senate Finance Bill is NOT going to be the FINAL Bill passed by Congress and signed by the President. Just keep the process moving and get a bill out of that damn committee.