A few Senators on Capitol Hill have spent much of today debating and adding amendments to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act –– trying to make it a Christmas Tree bill, as D.C. types call it — in hopes of weighing down the bill and preventing it from passing.
Earlier today, the Senate passed conflicting amendments from Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) regarding the Federal Communication Commission’s Fairness Doctrine that when put together, call for no real policy change. Now, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) is pushing an ornament — er, amendment — that would deal with D.C.’s gun laws.
Needless to say, following these amendments — which are pretty much completely unrelated to the original bill — can be pretty amusing for political types. Check out the transcript of DCist’s liveblog for further fun.
EDIT: Amendments be damned, the Senate voted about an hour to go to pass the bill, 61-37. The bill is currently moving along in the House, where it enjoys plenty of support. It’s likely on to President Obama’s desk for a signature or veto after that — though Obama has expressed vocal support for the measure. This is a big day for D.C. residents.
The bill did include a repeal of D.C.’s gun-regulation laws, however. Check out more coverage from the Washington Post here.