MNeagle
6th January 2011, 03:02 PM
Here's something John Boehner might feel the need to cry about: Just two days into the 112th Congress, there's a chance that the House might have to do all of its voting — including the roll call to elect a new Speaker — all over again.
Per Roll Call's Anna Palmer, House GOP leaders learned today that two of its members — Texas Rep. Pete Sessions and freshman Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania — weren't on the House floor yesterday during the official swearing-in ceremony.
According to the Morning Call's Colby Itkowitz, the two were hanging out at a shindig celebrating Fitzpatrick's first day in Congress when they looked up and noticed on TV that the oath was being administered.
The two reportedly raised their hands and joined along with their comrades, but under House rules, that doesn't count. Still, Sessions and Fitzpatrick continued to vote on the floor, even though they weren't technically sworn in, and that could invalidate every single vote the House has taken since yesterday.
Republicans, led by Rules Committee chairman David Dreier, are now looking to draft a rule to allow the pair's TV oath to count, but it would have to be approved by unanimous consent, and there's no sign Democrats, who are looking to slow down next week's planned vote on a repeal of President Obama's health-care plan, are willing to play ball.
http://mit.zenfs.com/100/2011/01/dreier-sessions.jpg
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110106/ts_yblog_theticket/the-112th-congress-might-have-to-start-all-over-again
Per Roll Call's Anna Palmer, House GOP leaders learned today that two of its members — Texas Rep. Pete Sessions and freshman Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania — weren't on the House floor yesterday during the official swearing-in ceremony.
According to the Morning Call's Colby Itkowitz, the two were hanging out at a shindig celebrating Fitzpatrick's first day in Congress when they looked up and noticed on TV that the oath was being administered.
The two reportedly raised their hands and joined along with their comrades, but under House rules, that doesn't count. Still, Sessions and Fitzpatrick continued to vote on the floor, even though they weren't technically sworn in, and that could invalidate every single vote the House has taken since yesterday.
Republicans, led by Rules Committee chairman David Dreier, are now looking to draft a rule to allow the pair's TV oath to count, but it would have to be approved by unanimous consent, and there's no sign Democrats, who are looking to slow down next week's planned vote on a repeal of President Obama's health-care plan, are willing to play ball.
http://mit.zenfs.com/100/2011/01/dreier-sessions.jpg
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110106/ts_yblog_theticket/the-112th-congress-might-have-to-start-all-over-again