If anyone has been watching what has been going on in the Senate for the past two days, they're very much aware that everything has come to a standstill because of S.2062-- the Class Action Fairness Act of 2004. Majority Leader Frist has chosen to block out any amendments by filling up what's referred to as the "amendment tree" (definition here). In the process, it has kept numerous homeland security bills from coming to vote. Many senators, including Minority Leader Daschle have told him that he has all but ensured the act's failure due to the blocking of amendments.



C-SPAN: Capitol Spotlight (See section entitled "Class Action Bill Stalls As Frist Seeks To Limit Amendments")

Lawsuit-limits bill stalls in Senate

My questions to you:
1.) Should filling the amendment tree to block amendments be permitted?
2.) Is it even wise for Mr. Frist to block amendments in this way?

In principal I agree with this issue cause I don't like bills being flooded with nongermane amendments that have nothing to do with the main concept of the bill which is what Frist is trying to stop.

Now I do have a problem with Frist's actions because it is not part of the rules that the senate has been following for over 200 yrs. A couple of the amendments that Senators from both sides of the aisle were trying to add but will not be able to were raising the minimum wage and I can't remember Senator Larry Craig's amendment that he was not able to add either.

In the future if they did change the rule I would fully support it but not how they are doing it. I believe that a bill should be clean and to the point, and that if nongermane amendments can't stand on their own well then should be worked on more.

For a little clearification the homeland security bill is not part of the Class action Fairness Act of 2004, but rather being pushed on the back burner. Until late today when they are going to move it forward in lite of new intelligence information of possible terrorist attacks. I am not sure if they agreed on a schedule for this yet or not at the time I stopped watching C-Span today.

Just an update this bill failed because of the obstacles that were put in front of both sides for what ever reason, they did have the numbers to pass it out of the senate 60 before Frist added the amendment tree rule.

Bill to Limit Some Suits Falls Victim to Politics

I seem to remember Tom Daschel refusing to let proposed Bills go to the floor so they could not get voted on. Particularly the tax rebate.

We shouldn't villify Friste for doing the same thing to the Dems. Unless you want to blame both of them for dragging the senate to a halt.