Here are some questions and answers on how the process works. Democratic lawmakers want to piggyback on the process by adding their immigration provisions. Simple. The process can only be used once a year on a spending bill and can’t be used for just any spending. It has been used by Congress during the last four presidential administrations, when the same party controlled the legislative branch and the White House. Those are core components of the Democratic virus relief effort. By signing up you are agreeing to our, What's in the Senate's $1.9T COVID-19 Bill, How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations. WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress have begun to utilize an arcane process known as reconciliation to fast-track President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package. As part of the reconciliation process, the Senate is set to hold a “vote-a-rama,” a relatively open-ended process that allows any senator to offer an amendment to the coronavirus relief package. The Budget Reconciliation Process: The Senate’s “Byrd Rule” Congressional Research Service Summary Reconciliation is a procedure under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 by which Congress implements budget resolution policies affecting mainly permanent spending and revenue programs. You can unsubscribe at any time. The budget may also include reconciliation instructions. Regulatory measures, such as gun control or rewriting immigration rules, are likely to run afoul of the Byrd rule and therefore cannot pass under this process. Incoming Democratic Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and outgoing Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will have to agree on a set of rules, known as an organizing resolution, which governs how the Senate works. But reconciliation is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Most importantly, the measure allows them to circumvent the usual 60-vote threshold in the Senate, which would otherwise require them to get Republican support. • Budget reconciliation is a process that allows passage of some legislation with only 51 votes in the Senate, rather than the 60 that would be needed if the opposition filibusters. There are two ways that Democrats could do that. (Though the process could progress more quickly). In the Senate, reconciliation bills aren’t subject to filibuster and the scope of amendments is limited, giving this process real advantages for enacting controversial budget and tax measures. Celebrate with those receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation (or the Sacrament of Penance) for the first time. It is intended to help lawmakers make the tax and mandatory spending changes necessary to meet the levels proposed in the congressional budget resolution. This is big news. Congress has passed budget resolutions that are the first step in advancing COVID-19 relief under the reconciliation process that requires only a simple majority vote for passage. If there's a dispute, the Senate parliamentarian would settle it. For instance, it can’t be used to touch Social Security, increase the deficit beyond a 10-year window or touch on topics outside a committee’s jurisdiction. Here’s how the 50-50 split is likely to work in real life. One fact sheet about reconciliation, produced by the House budget committee in 2020, says “Reconciliation is a tool – a special process – that makes legislation easier to pass in the Senate.” The Frontier Post / March 5, 2021. The Senate passed a vote to begin debate on the potential budget reconciliation which would be a way for the Senate to pass the stimulus checks and other related pandemic relief without even needing a single vote from the GOP. In theory, a majority of senators could overrule the parliamentarian, but that would be unusual. Georgia counties have until Jan. 15 to officially certify the results of Warnock’s and Ossoff’s elections, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has until Jan. 22 to make the victories official. Reconciliation instructions are put forward as part of a concurrent budget resolution that is adopted by both chambers of Congress. What Really Happens When There's a 50-50 Split in the Senate. Frank Thorp V is a producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for NBC News, managing coverage of the Senate. Democrats could also use the Congressional Review Act, which also requires just 51 votes, to unwind some of President Donald Trump’s last-minute regulations. Republicans have the majority until Inauguration Day. Because the current Senate is split 50-50 and the vice president, who casts the tiebreaking vote, is a Democrat, then a bill created through reconciliation could pass without any Republican support. This allows senators to block provisions of reconciliation bills that are extraneous to reconciliation’s basic purpose of implementing budget changes. All Rights Reserved. Write to Abigail Abrams at abigail.abrams@time.com. A reconciliation bill is a bill passed in the United States Senate or House of Representatives by a specific legislative process set forth in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Senate rules require that most pieces of legislation get 60 votes, which under the current Senate would mean all of the Democrats and 10 Republicans. But the Democrats holding the narrowest possible majority leaves some major obstacles and mine fields for the party. There's some dispute about this. The process is only permitted once per fiscal year, and it can only be used to change — or "reconcile" — laws related to taxes and spending. IE 11 is not supported. The first is by holding a vote to change the Senate’s standing rules. Here's how the process works. After Jan. 20, Kamala Harris will have the honors. Sahil Kapur is a national political reporter for NBC News.