![]() Reconciliation and the FY2018 Budget Resolution A simple majority is required for passage without the usual supermajority vote needed to advance to a vote on final passage. Thereafter, floor debate is limited to 20 hours, with further limitation on the scope and time that may be devoted to amendments. In the Senate, a reconciliation measure is privileged, which means it requires only a simple majority to be brought to the Senate floor rather than the usual 60 votes. In the House, simple majorities can attach similar conditions to most legislative matters, so the unique parliamentary characteristics of reconciliation legislation are largely intended to override otherwise prevailing Senate rules. The reconciliation process is among the most powerful procedural tools available to policymakers because bills passed through reconciliation are considered under expedited rules that limit the time allotted for debate, the scope of amendments and the number of votes needed for passage. It is a legislative process that reflects the long-tested notion that fiscal policy changes, particularly deficit reductions, such as changes to tax or entitlement programs, can be politically perilous, and therefore more difficult to pass. ![]() Reconciliation is often misunderstood for its use involving highly partisan legislation, but it is not inherently a partisan exercise as the historical record demonstrates.Ī reconciliation bill is legislation that changes laws affecting mandatory spending and/or tax revenue to achieve a specific budget outcome. If the House passes the budget, it will provide Congress with an important tool – reconciliation – to allow for expedited consideration of tax reform legislation. This week, the House of Representatives will reportedly take up the Congressional Budget Resolution passed by the Senate last week. Reconciliation is not inherently partisan – meaning policymakers should reserve judgment for the substance of the related legislation, rather than the mechanism for its consideration.While reconciliation has been used for strictly partisan exercises, notably for the enactment and attempted repeal of the Affordable Care Act, it has historically been a bipartisan process.Reconciliation can improve the odds for successful passage of tax reform, which has historically proven very challenging for Republicans and Democrats alike.The Senate-passed budget provides reconciliation instruction to the major tax-writing committees that should allow for fast-track consideration of tax reform legislation.
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