SMRs and AMRs

Friday, December 28, 2012

Bipartisan attempt to make Senate function better

Lawmakers Suggest New Rules to Speed Up Senate Business 

By JONATHAN WEISMAN, NYT

A bipartisan group of eight senators on Friday proposed a detailed set of Senate rule changes that could speed the legislative process considerably but would stop short of the most dramatic changes to the filibuster that some Democrats are demanding.

Under the proposed changes, the minority party in the Senate could no longer filibuster motions to take up bills for debate or to convene formal negotiations with the House on Senate-passed legislation.

The new rules would also make clear that if no senator is on the floor to mount a filibuster, the senator presiding over the Senate could immediately move to a vote on the pending matter. That, the advocates say, would put an end to the current practice of mounting filibusters without even showing up on the Senate floor.

For the minority party, the new rules would also guarantee at least four amendments on every bill, two for the Republicans and two for the Democrats.

"What we're proposing on a bipartisan basis is a way to end the major sources of gridlock around here," said Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, who, along with Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, unveiled the plan.

(More here.)

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