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Harkin: 'We're Going To Have A Public Option In This Bill'
Rachel Slajda | October 20, 2009, 6:32PM
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Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
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Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, appeared on MSNBC today and promised, "We're going to have a public option" in the Senate health care reform bill.
Harkin, who sent Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) to negotiate merging the HELP and Finance bills with Sens. Max Baucus and Harry Reid, also said, "The President has to come out."
"I hope the White House will be a little more forceful on this issue," he said.
He said the merged bill will come out late this week or early next week.
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jsf8278
October 20, 2009 9:27 PM
Can someone please answer this question????????
I understand that a bill needs 60 votes to get to the senate floor to be voted on when there's a filibuster. Does that same bill also need 60 votes to add any amendments to it? If not, why dont the dems just have a bill w/o a public option initially and add it as an amendment?
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October 21, 2009 7:11 AM in reply to jsf8278
Yes, by unanimous consent agreement, 60 votes are required to amend the bill once it is on the floor.
The dems can't add a public option by amendment because there aren't likely 60 votes for a public option.
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