According to Politico, the House of Representatives has passed the vote was extremely close - 219-212, with eight Republicans voting yes and 44 Democrats voting no. According to the article, Congressman did not have access to a working copy of the bill they were voting on:
"Republicans accused the Democrats of ramming the bill through the House. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), managing the debate for his party, asked repeatedly if there was even a copy of the current version of the bill anywhere in the House chamber. Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher - sitting in the speaker's chair although she's already been confirmed as Obama's undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security -- repeatedly dodged the question.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), one of the bill's sponsors, finally rose to say that a single copy of the current version of the bill was available at the speaker's desk - and on the Internet, which members would have to leave the floor to access."
This bill represents a hidden tax on almost everything we as Americans do. Hopefully, it can be stopped in the Senate. If not, it will do more damage to the economy than the current recession. Unfortunately, the bill may not be introduced into the Senate until the Democrats are sure it will pass. If it does, the hidden taxes on the average American will be huge--the price of everything we buy or do will increase substantially. It will not produce jobs or energy independence--it will produce revenue for the government.
This is the list of the eight Republicans who voted for this bill:
Mary Bono Mack California
Michael Castle Delaware
Frank LoBiondo New Jersey
Leonard Lance New Jersey
Mark Kirk Illinois
David Reichert Washington State
Chris Smith New Jersey
John McHugh New York
If you look at the Cap and Trade article published on this site on June 24, there is a map showing which states gain money from the bill and which states lose money. That map may have changed slightly in the negotiations, but isn't it interesting that most of the Republican votes come from states that will gain money on that map?
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