Breaking News! Congress passes an ACTUAL BILL!

[Clio the Leo]

Somebody WAKE the President! He's got some signin' to do!!!!

Senate passes $17.6B jobs bill

By LISA LERER | 3/17/10 10:42 AM EDT

The Senate passed the first in a series of jobs bills on Tuesday morning, marking the first major economic policy victory of 2010 for the Obama administration.

The $17.6 billion legislation passed 68-29 in the Senate, moving the package to the president's desk for final signature. The bill includes a payroll tax break for small businesses and highway funding designed to spur job growth.

Senate Democrats hoped to quickly pass the legislation, but spent several weeks fending off attacks from across the political spectrum. Liberal House Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus argued that the package was too small to spur new job growth in the hardest hit areas. And conservative Blue Dog Democrats pushed Democratic leadership to offset the cost of the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had scaled back the package from a $150 billion bill to move it more quickly and attract more bipartisan backing. Still, Senate Republicans slowed movement on the bill this week when they objected to an expedited vote.

The bill includes a bipartisan proposal sponsored by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that would exempt companies that hire out of work employees from payroll taxes through the end of the year. Businesses that hire new employees would also get a $1,000 tax credit if they keep the workers for at least a year.

Last week, Senate Democrats passed a separate $150 billion package of business tax breaks and expansion of unemployment and other benefits for laid off workers. That measure — now under review in the House— remains weeks away from passage.

Democrats are now expected to take up legislation focused on providing help to struggling small businesses.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34563.html

Now see? Was that so hard? ..... Let's see if we can pass TWO in one week! :bounce:

ETA: The Senate didn't vote on it ..... they DEEMED the House bill passed!!! ACTUAL Republicans just DEEMED a bill voted on!!!! :rofl:
Senate approves not the jobs bill directly, but a motion concurring in House amendments to it. That's deeming. Nobody says boo.
http://twitter.com/KagroX/status/10625852644

[liberal N proud]

1. I think they should vote again

Vote until it doesn't pass.

:sarcasm:

[karynnj]

4. Well I'm sure the Republicans will find some reason it was unfair that it passed

[Clio the Leo]

7. They've got some traitors in their ranks. Bill passed 68/29.

And I bet ONE of them was their savior Scott Brown.

[karynnj]

9. Here's the roll call -and Brown was a yes, as well as some suprises - Inhofe???

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 2nd Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendments to Senate Amendment to House Amendment to Senate Amendment to H.R. 2847 )
Vote Number: 55 Vote Date: March 17, 2010, 10:17 AM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Motion Agreed to
Measure Number: H.R. 2847 (Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 )
Measure Title: A bill making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts: YEAs 68
NAYs 29
Not Voting 3
Vote Summary By Senator Name By Vote Position By Home State


Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---68
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brown (R-MA)
Burr (R-NC)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)


NAYs ---29
Barrasso (R-WY)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Nelson (D-NE)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting - 3
Bennett (R-UT)
Byrd (D-WV)
Crapo (R-ID)

[Clio the Leo]

11. Yay! My no good GOP Sen. Alexander actually voted FOR something!!!

I KNEW he had it in him!

[karynnj]

13. I wonder if this is because it is jobs, and all states need them

I'm still shocked that Inhofe voted for it.

[NYC_SKP]

2. I fail to see how this situation in the Congress can be blamed on President Obama...

But I'm sure someone will 'splain it to me.

:bounce:

:kick:

[Clio the Leo]

6. The President's approval rating hovers around 50%, Congress around 20%...

.... you and I both know just because the press SAYS it, doesn't mean folks actually believe it.

[NJmaverick]

3. YES!

:party: :party:

[Jennicut]

5. OMG! What went wrong? We can't pass bills in the Senate! Oh wait, we did?

It is a start.

[Clio the Leo]

8. Kick! Look what I just added....

.... the Senate (including GOP members) just DEEMED the House bill passed! lol

[Proud Liberal Dem]

10. Well, there goes that *gold-plated* argument about passing HCR

Eh, Michelle........?
:eyes:

[Clio the Leo]

12. Oh Bachmann couldn't even FIND the Senate chamber if you held her hand and walked her over to it.

You dont expect her to actually be able to comprehend anything that goes on there do you?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

14. Absolutely not

She really showed how much of a loon she is when she advocate people slitting their wrists to protest HCR.

[denimgirly]

15. SHIT..An actual Bill Passed?? I'm Calling My Congressmen cuz Govt isnt Working.

since when is congress allowed to pass bills? Fox tells me to tell you: "Read the Constitution!"

[HughMoran]

16. I just "deemed" that the Republicans are idiots - useless to the core

:eyes:

[babylonsister]

17. And 11 rethugs voted for it (as usual, Ben Nelson didn't)...

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_03/022900.php

snip//

In a surprising display, a whopping 11 Republicans voted with the Democratic majority to pass the legislation. Most GOP senators still opposed the measure, and even mounted a filibuster to prevent a vote from even happening, but given recent history, 11 Republican votes in support of anything seems like a pleasant surprise.

Roll call here:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00055