House Scraps 'Deem and Pass' Procedure

"Deem and pass" is heading back into legislative obscurity. House leaders today decided not to use the controversial procedure on health care reform. Instead, the chamber will hold a standard vote on the Senate health bill and another on a package of amendments, reports the Washington Post. The final vote is still on track for tomorrow, and Nancy Pelosi says she's confident she'll have the numbers to push it through.

"Deem and pass" would have allowed the House to turn the bill into law without taking an explicit vote on it, and Republicans charged that Democrats were trying to shirk responsibility. "Our objective all along was to make it clear that the House is amending the Senate bill, and we found another way of accomplishing that," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen.
(More deem and pass stories.)