Sam Stein, who has been on top of rules negotiations between Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, has what’s left of once-ambitious Senate rule changes:
· Eliminating secret holds, including the right of senators to pass their secret holds to another anonymous senator to keep a rolling secret hold.
· Eliminating senators’ rights to force the reading of an amendment that has already been submitted for 72 hours and is publicly available.
· Legislation to exempt about 1/3 of all nominations from the Senate confirmation process, reducing the number of executive nominations subject to Senate delays, which will be scheduled at a future date under the terms of an agreement reached by Sens. Mitch McConnell and Lamar Alexander, Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman and HSGA ranking member Sen. Susan Collins, along with Sens. Reid and Chuck Schumer.
Reid and McConnell also have a “handshake agreement” that the Republicans will filibuster less so long as the Democrats allow them to offer more amendments, which will be enshrined in a colloquy between the two leaders on the Senate floor.
More here.