The Senate on November 1 defeated, 53-30, a motion to invoke cloture on a bankruptcy reform conference report (H.R. 2415). The vote in favor of limiting debate and bringing about a final vote was 7 short of the 60 required. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) filed the cloture motion in response to indications that Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN) intended to filibuster the measure. The President has stated that he will veto the bill.
Sen. Lott indicated that he intends to bring the conference report to the floor again after November 13, when Congress reconvenes. Earlier in the 106th Congress, the House approved a bankruptcy reform measure (H.R. 833) (see The Source, 5/7/99, p. 1). A separate version was approved by the Senate in February (see The Source, 2/4/00, p. 1).
