Senate public safety spectrum legislation could join other bills in...
Senate public safety spectrum legislation could join other bills in a deal on the national debt, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday. “Since [S-911] brings in net revenues, we have a chance to put it together with other pieces of…
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legislation in one of the packages that’s coming forward,” he told a news conference. “Building consensus” is the top remaining obstacle to passing S-911 in the Senate, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Early conversations with Republican senators have “gone very, very well, so I'm optimistic that we will have the coalition that we need at the end of the day,” she said. The Senate “may not do it as part of the debt package,” Gillibrand said: “There may be other ways to do this,” including “an up-or-down vote.” The bill’s Senate supporters have talked to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., about why the bill matters “and we'll certainly get to it” on the floor “as soon as we can,” Gillibrand said. “Obviously, everything is focused on the debt ceiling. So, I think once we complete that work we can then look to other bills.” Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., hinted that a Commerce Committee Republican who voted no at the committee’s markup may vote yes on the floor. The markup vote was 21-4, “and I think if it were to reach the floor it would be 22-3,” he said.