Step 4: Congress Passes Legislation
(this step will be completed in the future)
After the lead committees in the House and Senate pass health care reform legislation (either the same bill in succession or different versions), each chamber of Congress prepares the legislation for consideration (debate and votes) by the full membership. In the House of Representatives, a limited set of amendments (or an amendment that serves as a complete substitute) may be permitted to be offered. In the Senate, it is more common for there to be a more open-ended process for consideration of amendments to legislation on the Senate floor. These amendments would be voted on by the full chamber as well. Whether the health care reform legislation is contained within a broader piece of legislation or whether it is considered on its own may influence how much time is allowed for voting on the legislation and how many amendments are permitted to be offered for a vote.
We expect this step to be completed in July.
What You Can Do To Help
This is the moment of truth. Things will be moving quickly, so we will have to pull out all the stops and make sure Congress passes quality, affordable health care for all. Our usual arsenal of phone calls will have to go to the next level, and we may enlist you in mass marches around the country or in Washington, DC to get out the message that health care is a priority for all of us.
