Laken Riley Bill Passes Key Senate Test Vote

I previously reported that the House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 29, the “Laken Riley Act” — the first bill considered on the floor in the new 119th Congress — on January 7, with 48 Democrats joining all their voting GOP colleagues supporting the bill. A companion version of the bill, S. 5, passed a key procedural test in the Senate on January 9, as 31 Democrats joining all voting Republican senators in supporting a cloture motion that will allow the bill to proceed for debate. It still has a ways to go before it ends up on the president’s desk — so watch out for amendments.