Reid Says Democrats May Act on Own to Curb Filibusters
By Kathleen Hunter & Chris Strohm - Jan 23, 2013 2:16 PM ET
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats will pursue their plan to curb the use of filibusters to block legislation if the party and Republican lawmakers don’t reach agreement on the matter this week.
A majority of Democrats -- at least 51 -- will vote for some changes to the filibuster procedure, as long as those don’t include requiring senators to hold the floor by talking endlessly, Reid and Richard Durbin of Illinois, the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat, said in interviews today.
Specifically, 51 Democrats would vote to eliminate the use of the filibuster on motions to proceed to legislation, Durbin said. There would also be majority support for limiting, or disallowing altogether, use of the filibuster to block sending bills to conference with the House or limiting debate on judicial nominations, Durbin said.
Requiring senators who are filibustering to speak on the floor for up to 30 hours of debate time could also have majority support, Durbin said.
Durbin didn’t say whether there would be enough support to pass a proposal by Senator Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, that would require at least 41 senators to cast votes to keep a filibuster going.
That change, which he called the “Franken- wrinkle,” would reverse the current process that requires those seeking to end a filibuster to record 60 votes.
more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-22/reid-says-democrats-may-act-on-own-to-curb-filibusters.html
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