Illinois Party Lines Clear on Health Care Vote
By ZACH CHRISTMAN
Updated 12:34 PM CST, Sun, Nov 8, 2009
No surprises here.
Illinois House reps voted along party lines on the sweeping health care reform bill passed Saturday.
Every Democrat from the Land of Lincoln voted "yes" on the bill, while every one of their Republican counterparts voted against it. The landmark bill narrowly passed, 220-215, and now moves on to the Senate.
Here's the breakdown for U.S. representatives from Illinois:
Democrats |
||
| Bobby Rush | (D-1st District) | Yes |
| Jesse Jackson Jr. | (D-2nd District) | Yes |
| Daniel Lipinski | (D-3rd District) | Yes |
| Luis Gutierrez | (D-4th District) | Yes |
| Mike Quigley | (D-5th District) | Yes |
| Danny Davis | (D-7th District) | Yes |
| Melissa Bean | (D-8th District) | Yes |
| Jan Schakowski | (D-9th District) | Yes |
| Debbie Halvorson | (D-11th District) | Yes |
| Jerry F. Costello | (D-12th District) | Yes |
| Bill Foster | (D-14th District) | Yes |
| Phil Hare | (D-17th District) | Yes |
Republicans |
||
| Peter Roskam | (R-6th District) | No |
| Mark Kirk | (R-10th District) | No |
| Judy Biggert | (R-13th District) | No |
| Tim Johnson | (R-15th District) | No |
| Don Manzullo | (R-16th District) | No |
| John Shimkus | (R-19th District) | No |
| Aaron Schock | (R-18th District) | No |
The biggest surprise in Saturday's vote was the last-minute deal to ensure the bill's passage. Democrats agreed to gut coverage for abortions in the compromise, which makes federal money off-limits for nearly all abortions. Under the deal, only private insurance money can be used to cover them.
Illinois Democrats took the floor to oppose the amendment, even though it would eventually pass. Rep. Schakowsky called the amendment a "radical departure from current law. Others agreed.
"This amendment says only women who can afford insurance deserve access to reproductive health care," Rep. Quigley said.
But, of course, Republicans were on the opposite pole. They said including funding for abortions in the health care act would be breaking with long-standing law.
If you're interested in what the health care reform act actually looks like, you can take a look at the complete text of H.R. 3962 here.
First Published: Nov 8, 2009 9:48 AM CST
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