S.510 Cloture Update

Thanks Nicole, for the heads up!

From Meatingplace:

“Reid’s Deputy Communications Director Regan Lachapelle confirmed to Meatingplace that the senator is working on a unanimous consent agreement to ultimately bring about a vote on the legislation [S.510]. She explained that the only way to bring a bill to the floor over the objections of a senator is to file cloture; a procedural process can take more than a week.”

“We will still try to get an agreement to do this before we leave [for elections],” Lachapelle told Meatingplace, adding.

…

“The update adds information from Sen. Reid’s staff and clarifies that the bill has not been shelved.”

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I find this business of cloture a bit confusing. Seems like it could require debate time that doesn’t appear available. — NJ 

From Wikipedia:

Cloture:

Procedure

The three-fifths version of the cloture rule does not apply to motions to end filibusters relating to Senate Rule changes. To invoke cloture to end debate over changing the Senate Rules, the original version of the rule (two-thirds of those Senators “present and voting”) still applies.[8]

The procedure for “invoking cloture,” or ending a filibuster, is as follows:

• A minimum of sixteen senators must sign a petition for cloture.
• The petition may be presented by interrupting another Senator’s speech.
• The clerk reads the petition.
• The cloture petition is ignored for one full day during which the Senate is sitting (If the petition is filed on a Friday, it is ignored until Monday, assuming that the Senate did not sit on Saturday or Sunday.)
• On the second calendar day during which the Senate sits after the presentation of the petition, after the Senate has been sitting for one hour, a “quorum call” is undertaken to ensure that a majority of the Senators are present. However, the mandatory quorum call is often waived by unanimous consent.
• The President of the Senate or President pro tempore presents the petition.
• The Senate votes on the petition; three-fifths of the whole number of Senators (sixty with no vacancies) is the required majority; however, when cloture is invoked on a question of changing the rules of the Senate, two-thirds of the Senators voting (not necessarily two-thirds of all Senators) is the requisite majority.

After cloture has been invoked, the following restrictions apply:

• No more than thirty hours of debate may occur.[9]
• No Senator may speak for more than one hour.
• No amendments may be moved unless they were filed on the day in between the presentation of the petition and the actual cloture vote.
• All amendments must be relevant to the debate.
• Certain procedural motions are not permissible.
• The presiding officer gains additional power in controlling debate.
• No other matters may be considered until the question upon which cloture was invoked is disposed of.

The ability to invoke cloture was last attained by a US political party in the 111th Congress, by the Democrats, with the help of two independents.[10]

Tags: cloture, Food Safety Legislation, reid, s 510