Senate Dems Need ONE MORE Vote to Pass Bill Protecting Net Neutrality

[LongTomH]

From Politics USA: Senate Democrats Reach Historic Milestone And Need 1 More Vote To Pass Bill Protecting Net Neutrality:

Senate Democrats have already forced a vote on a bill to protect net neutrality, and on Tuesday, Democrats announced that they are now just one vote short of passing the bill in the Senate.

In a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, the Senate Democrats announced:

Senate Democrats announced today that the legislation to overturn the FCC’s recent vote to repeal the net neutrality rule now has the support of all 49 Democrats in the United States Senate. Today’s announcement is the latest milestone in the Democrats’ fight to stand up for average consumers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal the 2015 Open Internet Order, which the D.C. Circuit Court upheld in 2016. The Open Internet Order prohibited internet service providers from blocking, slowing down, or discriminating against content online. Repealing the net neutrality rules could lead to higher prices for consumers, slower internet traffic, and even blocked websites.

The resolution of disapproval, which is being led by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and now has the support of the entire Senate Democratic caucus, would rescind FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s item and fully restore the Open Internet Order. CRA resolutions allow Congress to overturn regulatory actions at federal agencies with a simple majority vote in both chambers. In accordance with the Congressional Review Act, the Senators will formally introduce the resolution after the rule is submitted to both houses of Congress and published in the federal register and then force a vote within 60 legislative days.

With Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also supporting the bill, Democrats need to secure one Republican vote to pass the bill, and those Republican votes are out there to be had because a free and unfettered internet is the definition of open market conservatism. The killing of net neutrality is an anti-free market maneuver that is intended to give control of the internet to large corporate Internet Service Providers.

[LisaM]

1. So when one of your friends tries to say Democrats and Republicans are the same....

Just mention this.

[SFnomad]

2. One short of passing it? What about Cloture? What about the House?

What about a tRump veto?

We've got a long ways to go before we get excited.

[Jim Lane]

4. Cloture doesn't apply. The bill can't be filibustered.

The Congressional Review Act, concerning bills to overturn agency actions, prevents such bills from being filibustered.

The headline is correct that the Democrats are one vote short of passing the bill, meaning that it passes the Senate. You're correct to point to the House and Trump; enacting the bill will be much more difficult.

In fact, enacting it will probably be impossible. The main benefit of Senate passage would be that it would then have to be voted on by the House. (IIRC, the CRA means that Ryan couldn't prevent a floor vote.) Representatives who vote against it would then be on record and could be attacked this fall for that vote.

One strong possibility is that the bill will be defeated in the House by one or two votes. Some of the Republicans who don't want to anger their corporate paymasters by voting for it will also want to not anger the voters by voting against it. They'll want to vote for it (for political reasons) yet not be responsible for its passage. Ryan will grant permission for a Yea vote to endangered Republicans whose votes he doesn't need.

Another possibility is that Ryan will say the hell with it, do what you have to do for your districts, we know Trump will veto it anyway. In that case it might actually pass both houses.

[Initech]

3. Excellent!

Ajit Pai can go eat a steaming bag of rancid dog shit!