# Health Care Bill Precedural Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-bill-precedural-question/533253>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 21, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-bill-precedural-question/533253 "2010-03-21T18:10:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-bill-precedural-question/533253/1 "2010-03-21T18:10:56Z")

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I’m not up to speed on some aspects of this, and my handbooks aren’t much use. It’s apparently like this: the House is right now going to vote on the Senate bill as it stands, and on a Budget Reconciliation Bill containing the things it wants changed in the Bill. Right so far? If both bills pass, the Senate bill goes to the President for signature and becomes law thereafter; the reconciliation bill goes to the Senate for passage.  
What happens if the reconciliation bill does not get passed in the House? Do they pass it first, so they can avoid simply okaying the Senate bill? What forces the Senate to also adopt the reconciliation bill? What would happen if the Senate didn’t, seeing as apparently Obama will already have signed the Senate’s bill into law anyhow?

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-bill-precedural-question/533253/2 "2010-03-21T18:19:57Z")

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> [@Enterprise](#):
>
> I’m not up to speed on some aspects of this, and my handbooks aren’t much use. It’s apparently like this: the House is right now going to vote on the Senate bill as it stands, and on a Budget Reconciliation Bill containing the things it wants changed in the Bill. Right so far?

Yep.

> [@](#):
>
> If both bills pass, the Senate bill goes to the President for signature and becomes law thereafter; the reconciliation bill goes to the Senate for passage.  
> What happens if the reconciliation bill does not get passed in the House?

Then the Senate bill stands as is. But this is only a theoretical issue, since the House Dems have more than enough votes for the changes.

> [@](#):
>
> Do they pass it first, so they can avoid simply okaying the Senate bill?

No. That’s what they were going to do with the “deem and pass” method, but they don’t need that anymore (supposedly).

> [@](#):
>
> What forces the Senate to also adopt the reconciliation bill? What would happen if the Senate didn’t, seeing as apparently Obama will already have signed the Senate’s bill into law anyhow?

Nothing forces them, although Harry Reid got a letter signed by more than 50 Dems promising they would. The Senate Dems would severely ruin their chances of working cooperatively with the House Dems if they don’t vote for the changes.

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**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-bill-precedural-question/533253/3 "2010-03-21T18:31:44Z")

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Thanks **John**. Interesting stuff. It’s interesting to see that it more or less boils down to trust, then.