Attendance would not have changed SCHIP outcome

Republicans hammered Democrats last week for poor manners in scheduling a vote to pass a revised bill expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) while wildfires raged in California.

{mosads}Democrats countered that they only wanted to pass the bill as quickly as possible to ensure that a second potential veto override vote could be held before the Thanksgiving recess. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-Md.) spokeswoman, Stacey Bernards, insisted Republicans had no case.

Putting aside those arguments, the breakdown of absences suggests if there had been perfect attendance for the vote, it would not have affected the 265-142 result on the bill.

Republicans would not have been able to muster the votes to stop Democrats from passing the bill, while Democrats would not have achieved a two-thirds supermajority that would have signaled their ability to override a potential veto.

 All told, 26 members — 16 Republicans and 10 Democrats — or 6 percent of the House — did not cast a vote. Ten of those members — eight Republicans and two Democrats — hailed from the Golden State.

If the Californians had been in attendance and voted their party’s position, the bill still would have been approved, 267-150. If the non-Californians also had voted their party’s position, the tally would have been 275-157.

If all 433 members are present (there are two vacancies), 286 votes (two-thirds of 433) are needed to override a potential veto. The Democrats are still 11 votes short; when they voted to override Bush’s veto earlier this month, they fell 13 votes short.