- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The
U.S. Senate on Tuesday refused to drop a package of pro-business provisions
attached to legislation to create President Bush's proposed Department
of Homeland Security.
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- On a largely party-line vote of 52-47, the Senate defeated
a Democratic amendment to strip out what critics called "special interest"
provisions slipped into the bill to benefit Republican allies.
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- But backers said the provisions, which include new liability
protections, are required to help companies provide vaccines and other
products and technology needed in the nation's stepped-up war on terrorism.
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- Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi voted
to keep the provisions, but said some may be dropped after a further review.
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- Lott argued that with the nation at risk the Senate needed
to move now to pass the underlying legislation to create the department,
proposed in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
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- The Senate may vote later on Tuesday on passage of the
measure, which would fold into a new Cabinet-level Department of Homeland
Security all or parts of 22 existing federal agencies in the biggest U.S.
government reorganization in a half-century.
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- The House of Representatives last week approved the bill.
But before the measure can be sent to Bush to be signed into law, it must
be returned to the House to approve some technical changes.
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- If the Democratic amendment to drop the pro-business
provisions was passed, foes said it would put in doubt the future of the
legislation.
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- They said it would take at least a month for an anticipated
House-Senate conference committee to reach a compromise on a revised bill.
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- Democrats argued it would be worth the wait, but Republicans
prevailed in defeating the amendment.
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