Congress' consideration of healthcare reform legislation has largely been a pretty slow process. But things are beginning to speed up.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi debuted her chamber's version of a reform bill. This week, she reportedly plans to introduce it, perhaps even today. That means a vote in the full House could come as soon as Thursday.
Whenever Pelosi does introduce the bill, expect at least a 72-hour delay before it comes to the floor of the House. That's because the speaker has bowed to Republican demands that the legislation be available to the public for at least three days before any vote.
As the Hill's Jared Allen and Mike Soraghan note, however, there are other considerations at plan in determining timing on any vote: "[I]t’s possible Pelosi won’t have the votes by Thursday, and leaders have already warned their caucus that they could be working all weekend and into next week to win a vote on President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority."
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