...House Democrats will file another ‘discharge petition’ Wednesday in an effort to force a vote on a bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration system. The move, which would need to obtain 218 signatures, is not expected to succeed (There are currently 199 Democrats in the House). House Democrats will unveil the petition at a Wednesday morning press event on the steps of the Capitol. House Democrats have filed seven discharge petitions in the 113th Congress, all of which failed to obtain the signatures needed to force a vote on legislation. In the last 30 years, only seven discharge petitions have obtained enough signatures to force a vote. Earlier this year, Democrats used the tactic to try to bring an extension of unemployment benefits and an increase in the federal minimum wage to the House floor. While those attempts failed, the process itself has been used as a messaging tool to highlight Republican’s unwillingness to bring up bills.... -- nbcnews/politics/congress/house-dems-will-try-force-immigration-vote-n60791
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:31:07 +0000