January 31, 2007: Min Wage Bill Clears Final Procedural Hurdle

[~20:00]
The Senate has adjourned for the day.  At closing, majority leader Reid made a unanimous consent request to begin consideration of the re-worked Warner (VA) resolution on Iraq—as a bill.  Both John Warner and minority leader Mitch McConnell (KY) objected.  Reid was quick to say that he too did not like the idea of turning the resolution on Iraq into a bill but that he was doing it for procedural purposes; specifically, it is too hard to offer amendments on resolutions.  Reid wanted the Warner resolution to serve as a template that other senators could offer amendments on; there was no intention of trying to pass it as a bill, it would not be sent to the President, after debate the bill language would be stripped and it would revert to a plain old non-binding resolution.  Well, McConnell, who had not had a chance to read the new wording of the Warner resolution, had to object.  Warner himself said that he wanted the Senate to have its own debate on Iraq, to keep the debate in house, etc.  So, we'll see.

Tomorrow it seems will begin with morning-business speeches and then move to votes on judge confirmations. After that it's probably open floor, probably a lot of talk on Iraq.  Debate on the min wage bill is over but there are still some requisite post-cloture hours to burn.  The Senate opens tomorrow morning at 10:00 eastern.


[17:34]
The Senate is now in a quorum call.  Cloture on the underlying minimum wage bill successfully passed.  The Senate will wrap up the min wage bill by week-end.  On Monday, at noon, said majority leader Reid, there will be some kind of vote on Iraq.


[15:45]
At 16:00 the Senate will vote on a Kyl amendment to the min wage bill.  After that, they'll vote for cloture on the underlying bill (60 votes needed).


[12:33]
Charles Grassley, IA.  The senator from Iowa has been speaking for twenty minutes or so on issues ranging from accountability of drug trials at the FDA to the likely criticism of Bush's budget by left-wing think tanks, east coast media, and even Congressional leadership.

It sounds like there will be a vote later this afternoon on a Kyl amendment to the min wage bill and that will be the only remaining vote on any amendments to the min wage bill (not counting the "substitute").