So it Passed in the House - What's Next?

As many of you are aware, the House of Representatives passed health care reform bill H.R. 3962 on November 7^th by a vote of 220 to 215. What are the next steps in the legislative process before health reform becomes law?

1. It is important to remember that each chamber (the House and the Senate) drafts a separate bill. The current health care reform bill in the Senate is S. 1796 (a different bill from H.R. 3962). S. 1796 is sponsored by Senator Max Baucus and is under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance Committee. This means the Senate Finance Committee conducts hearings regarding the bill, marks up the bill, and prepares it for Senate floor debate.
2. If the Senate’s health reform bill is passed, the next step in the legislative process is Conference Committee. In Conference Committee, a select group of Senators and Representatives meet together to iron out differences between the two bills with the goal of achieving a compromise. The Senators and Representatives involved in the Conference process are from the committees with jurisdiction over the bill. In the Senate – this is the Senate Finance Committee. The House Committees with relevant jurisdiction include primarily: House Ways and Means Committee, House Education and Labor Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee. I have been in Conference Committee meetings held in the U.S. Capitol and it is a very heated negotiation process. The bill that comes out of Conference can often be much different from the original bills.
3. Once compromise is achieved in Conference Committee, the Conference Report (combined bill) is sent back to both the House and the Senate for a vote.
4. The new bill must then be passed by both the House and the Senate before it can be sent to the President’s desk for signature.
5. The President signs the bill and it becomes law.

Health care reform is not yet a “done deal”. There are still several more steps before it becomes law. (I believe Senate floor debate is expected within the next few weeks. Sen. Tom Harkin stated Senate debate is expected to begin on Nov. 30 - the Monday following Thanksgiving. Please post as you hear updates.) And although the House already passed one version of health care reform, it must weigh in again with another vote on the bill that comes out of Conference. (It is not yet time to let your Representatives off the hook.) You can access the text, current legislative status, list of sponsors, and Congressional Research Service (CRS) Summaries of the House and Senate bills at:

http://thomas.loc.gov/

This Library of Congress website is indispensible in finding up to date legislative information. You can search for bills by bill number, phrases, or sponsors. (However, due to the popularity of the health reform issue, there is no need to search for the Senate and House bills because they are listed right on the home page of Thomas.loc.gov.) Lets watch this process closely and let our voices be heard at each important moment.