To ensure the delivery of a health reform package to President Obama's desk in time for his State of the Union Address and to deflect any further Republican delay tactics, Democrats have indicated that party leaders will informally resolve the differences between the two bills rather than under the rubric of a formal conference committee. In this process, known as "ping-pong", leaders from each chamber would negotiate to resolve a number of the differences in the bill and then send their updated version to the other chamber until both have adopted identical bills. Media outlets are estimating that there may be only one volley, with the House adopting the Senate language and sending it back to the Senate for final approval. With a Senate vote of 60-39, just enough to pass the legislation, the final bill is predicted to reflect the Senate version more than the House version for the sake of maintaining enough votes.
The Hill reports that C-SPAN is in talks with Democrats to publicly televise the behind closed doors negotiations. Conference Committee proceedings would normally be televised, especially on such a hot-button issue, and C-SPAN wants to ensure the public access.
To read more, visit The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or The Hill.
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