C3 is working with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to organize meetings over the President’s Day District Work Period with Senators and Representatives to ask for their support for increased federal funding for cancer research and cancer control programs.

You may not be able to travel to DC in March to participate in the 2010 Call-on Congress, but this is your chance to meet with your representatives and talk with them about the importance of increasing federal funding for cancer research.

We currently have meetings scheduled with House Budget Committee Ranking Member Paul Ryan in Kenosha, WI on February 11, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Las Vegas, NV on February 16, and with House Republican Leader John Boehner in West Chester, OH on February 23.  And, we are in the process of confirming additional meetings.

If you would like to attend a meeting, please contact Catherine Knowles at Catherine.Knowles@FightCRC.org, and we will get you all the details and background information that you need.

The President’s budget for FY2011, includes some funding increases for cancer research at NIH and NCI but it also proposes reductions in funding for cancer control programs at the CDC.  Read more about funding for cancer research and control programs in the President’s FY2011 budget.

As Congress begins the FY2011 budget process, it is important that we remind Members about the importance of federal funding for cancer research and cancer control programs.  If you are able, I hope you will attend a meeting with your representative over the President’s Day District Work Period.

As expected, a little after 1am this morning, the Senate voted 60-40 on party lines to advance a revised health care reform bill introduced Saturday morning by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

All 58 Democrats and 2 independents voted to approve the first of three crucial procedural motions the Senate will consider before moving to a vote on final passage of the bill.

The 60-40 vote tally is expected to be repeated with a cloture vote on the substitute amendment scheduled for 7am on December 22 and a cloture vote on the underlying bill scheduled for 1pm on December 23.

The vote on final passage of the health care reform bill is scheduled for 7pm on Christmas Eve.

This afternoon, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an analysis of the manager’s amendment that Senator Reid filed this morning.

Roughly 31 million Americans would receive coverage under the legislation.

CBO said that the final legislation, will cost $871 billion over the next 10 years and reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the same period.

The final Senate bill will cost more than the 2,074 page health care reform bill first unveiled by Senator Reid last month (CBO had scored that bill as costing $848 billion over 10 years).

The Senate legislation has undergone a number of changes during the last 17 days of debate and amendments.  Perhaps the biggest change, is the decision by Senate Majority Leader Reid to drop the opt-out public option provision in favor of one that will allow individuals between ages 55 and 64 to buy into Medicare.

This morning, Senator Reid introduced a manager’s amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  The 383 page manager’s amendment includes the deals and compromises needed to secure 60 votes on final passage, with many of the provisions targeted to satisfy the demands of individual senators.

Senator Ben Nelson (NE), the final Democratic holdout on health care, announced this morning that he will support the Senate health care reform bill.

Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Charles Schumer (NY) said he, Majority Leader Reid, and Senator Nelson reached a handshake agreement on cloture late last night, provided the language they discussed appeared in the manager’s amendment.  Nelson’s backing provides the crucial 60th vote as Senator Reid pushes for a final vote before Christmas.

Later today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is expected to release its analysis and score of the manager’s package.  This analysis will provide Senators with an estimate of the cost of the final bill as well as the impact of the bill (for example, how many uninsured Americans will have insurance under the bill).

The Senate will likely need to invoke cloture three times on the health care bill: on the manager’s amendment, on the underlying Reid substitute amendment, and on the underlying bill.

A vote on final passage is scheduled for 7pm on Christmas Eve.

In January, the House and Senate will have to reconcile the different versions of health care reform they passed.  Congressional leaders hope to send a final bill to President Obama before his State of the Union address.

By Catherine Knowles, C3’s Director of Policy

Democratic Senator Ben Nelson (NE) announced this afternoon that he will vote for cloture on the motion to proceed Saturday.

Continue reading to see exactly what Senator Nelson said, and for additional updates on the pending vote.

In explaining his support for the procedural vote, Senator Nelson said “[t]he Senate should start trying to fix a healthcare system that costs too much and delivers too little for Nebraskans.  Throughout my Senate career, I have consistently rejected efforts to obstruct.  That’s what the vote on the motion to proceed is all about. It is not for or against the new Senate healthcare bill released Wednesday.  It is only to begin debate and an opportunity to make improvements.  If you don’t like a bill, why block your own opportunity to amend it?”.

The Senate began debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this morning.  A cloture vote on the motion to proceed is expected around 8pm on Saturday.  You can watch the debate and vote online.

If, as expected, Senate Majority Leader Reid gets the 60 votes he needs on Saturday, three weeks of debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will begin the week of November 30 and continue until right before Christmas.  At the conclusion of debate and consideration of amendments, a vote on final passage of the health reform bill is expected sometime between December 18-23.

Numerous amendments are expected during Senate consideration of the bill, but even as was introduced this week, the Senate bill is very different from the bill that the House passed earlier this month which means that both chambers will have to conference their bills.  House and Senate leadership has indicated that they would like to consider the conference report/final bill the second or third week of January in order to send a final health reform bill to the President before the State of the Union address.