Yesterday, the "Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008" cleared a key Senate hurdle and is now in line to be considered on the merits by the full Senate. "Cloture" of debate of the comprehensive housing measure was agreed-to by the Senate by a vote of 83-9. Cloture is the Senate mechanism by which debate on a bill is ended and a final vote is scheduled. In order to achieve cloture, it is necessary to obtain 60 votes. If a cloture motion receives less than 60 votes, then debate will continue on the bill and no vote will be held until such time as cloture is obtained or the bill is withdrawn from the floor. Accordingly, obtaining cloture is a critical measure of the level of support any given piece of legislation has in the Senate.
The housing bill is being championed by Senators Chris Dodd (CT) and Richard Shelby (AL), the Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Senate Banking Committee. The bill will likely come up for consideration on the merits by the full Senate in the next few days.
If the housing bill is passed by the Senate, it will still have to be reconciled with a similar bill passed by the House of Representatives. It is likely there will be certain points of disagreement between Senators Dodd and Shelby and Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, that will have to be worked out.
In addition, the Bush Administration has already stated publicly that President Bush will veto the bill if it is presented to him in its current form. Should that happen, it will set the stage for a Congressional effort to override the President's veto. Thus far, both the House and Senate versions of the bill have garnered wide bi-partisan support.
Here is how the Senators voted on the measure yesterday:
Alphabetical by Senator Name
Akaka (D-HI), Yea Alexander (R-TN), Yea Allard (R-CO), Not Voting Barrasso (R-WY), Nay Baucus (D-MT), Yea Bayh (D-IN), Yea Bennett (R-UT), Yea Biden (D-DE), Yea Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Bond (R-MO), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Yea Brownback (R-KS), Not Voting Bunning (R-KY), Nay Burr (R-NC), Yea Byrd (D-WV), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Clinton (D-NY), Not Voting Coburn (R-OK), Not Voting Cochran (R-MS), Yea Coleman (R-MN), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Yea Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Craig (R-ID), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Nay DeMint (R-SC), Nay Dodd (D-CT), Yea Dole (R-NC), Yea Domenici (R-NM), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Yea Ensign (R-NV), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Nay Feingold (D-WI), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Yea Gregg (R-NH), Yea Hagel (R-NE), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Not Voting Inouye (D-HI), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johnson (D-SD), Yea Kennedy (D-MA), Not Voting Kerry (D-MA), Yea Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea Kyl (R-AZ), Nay Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea Levin (D-MI), Yea Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Yea Martinez (R-FL), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting McCaskill (D-MO), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Yea Obama (D-IL), Not Voting Pryor (D-AR), Yea Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Salazar (D-CO), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea Smith (R-OR), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Specter (R-PA), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Stevens (R-AK), Yea Sununu (R-NH), Yea Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Yea Warner (R-VA), Yea Webb (D-VA), Yea Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Yea
