So, the House passes the Republican bill and the Senate votes it down, then the Senate passes

[Bandit]

the Reid Bill or something very similar. Do the two Bills then go for reconcilliation into one Bill or is it over with and back to the drawing board?

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Not even sure the House will pass the Bill as a non-starter.

[gratuitous]

2. Sentenced to watch Schoolhouse Rock five times

The House and the Senate have to pass the exact same bill for it to be sent on to the President for signing into law. If the House passes a bill that dies in the Senate, and the Senate passes a different bill, then the same bill has not been passed by both chambers. If the House passes a bill, and the Senate passes that bill but amends it first, then the bill has to go to a conference committee of House and Senate folks, who iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions. If the conference committee can't come to an agreement on a final form for the bill, it probably dies. If the conference committee comes out with a compromise bill and can recommend passage to their respective chambers, then the revised bill, identical in each chamber can be passed and sent on to the president for signing into law.

There is a fly in the ointment, however, in that any revenue bill has to originate in the House, according to the Constitution. The work-around for that is that the Senate can take up a House revenue bill on some totally unrelated matter, and through a process called "gut and stuff" rewrite the House version to say whatever the Senate prefers it should say. Then the bill, which has now passed both the House and the Senate, can go to a conference committee or even directly back to the House. If both chambers pass the bill as re-written, it can go to the president for signing into law.

[brooklynite]

4. The negotiations ARE the Conference Committee...

The individual bills being voted on are irrelevant. Eventually, Reid/McConnell/Boehner/Pelosi will come to an agreenment on a bill, it'll be written up and voted on by both Houses. Question is, when do they coment to ageement and when does the finished bill available for a vote?

[jezebel]

3. the Senate will not be able to pass Reid's bill. One of the Repubs will demand a 60 vote. It won't

get to the floor. That gives Boehner the ability to make it all about his bill and tinkering around the edges.