Senator, Legislation | featured news

A second Republican senator signaled Wednesday she's open to voting for sweeping health care legislation this year, putting President Barack Obama closer to a historic achievement that has eluded generations of Democratic leaders.

Reacting to an amendment proposed by Sen. Jon Cornyn (R-Texas) during the Senate Finance Committee's markup of health care reform legislation on Thursday, committee member Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) called his colleague a pawn of the health insurance industry.

"This is a very, very important amendment and it's a very, very bad amendment," said Rockefeller. "If there's anything which is clear, it's that the insurance industry is not running this markup, but is running certain people in this markup."

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., introduced legislation Thursday that would allow federally-regulated online poker and other games of skill. Under this bill, gaming companies would have to undergo a thorough review by the Treasury Department including an analysis of the financial condition of the applicant, business record, and background checks.