The Senate, as expected, passed HR 4 today, the first revision to the Affordable Care Act, repealing a revenue-raising provision that would have required small businesses to report vendor purchases above $600. They paid for the measure with the House pay-for, which penalizes recipients of exchange subsidies who change jobs or increase their income in [...]

The Senate has two votes planned this morning on HR 4, a bill already passed by the House that would repeal the 1099 reporting provision that would have required all businesses as of 2012 to report all vendor purchases over $600 to the IRS. This would have increased tax collection, according to the CBO, by [...]

Senate Democrats are apparently leaning toward passing a bill that would change the health care law’s 1099 reporting requirement and pay for it by eating away at exchange subsidies. Harry Reid was asked about the 1099 repeal bill today and he responded that he preferred the way the House paid for the legislation. Senate Majority [...]

Last night the Senate rejected an attempt to repeal the health care reform law. However, what they did repeal – and more important, how they paid for it – provides a signal for how the deficit debate will go on Capitol Hill. And it’s not a particularly good signal. All Democrats voting held together against [...]

We should see a vote in the Senate on repealing the Affordable Care Act today, although a decision on how to approach it is still being worked out. Because of the lack of Senate rules reform, any amendment is subject to filibuster as well. However, my understanding is that the amendment on repeal violates the [...]

Democrats in the Senate may be warming to a confrontational vote to repeal the health care bill, while attempting to embarrass Republicans along the way. If Republicans try to bring repeal to the floor as an amendment to a separate bill – a non-germane amendment, which never gets discussed in talking about Senate rules – [...]

In an opening bid that’s more of a mood setter than an actual policy expected to be signed into law by the President, the new Republican leadership is likely to pass a repeal of the Affordable Care Act as one of their first bills in Congress. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the incoming chair of the [...]

That cloture vote is still open at the moment, but the Senate will move to advance the health care bill today. They already have close to 70 votes in favor. With that kind of support, passage is assured. But while there’s no question of that, other questions abound: • Will the Senate allow amendments? As [...]

A brief on what happened last night in Congress. As you may know, the Senate was scheduled to wrap up work on the food safety bill last night, though Harry Reid braced everyone for late night votes. I guess he lost his nerve, and now two votes will carry over into morning. The substitute amendment [...]

The new-look Senate, after swearing in Mark Kirk (R-IL) to replace Democrat Roland Burris, expects to finish work on S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, today. But not before a series of votes on a number of Republican amendments that send messages more than contribute to the debate over food safety. The food safety [...]

The Senate will invoke cloture on the small business bill today, with the support of Republican George Voinovich of Ohio and George LeMieux of Florida. Right now it looks like they’re waiting on some final votes as Senators get to the chamber, but this will pass. I’ll update with final numbers in a bit. UPDATE: [...]