Passage of The Act
On March 19, congressional leaders announced that they were drafting a bill which would transfer the case from state court to federal court. In the early hours of March 20 and 21, Congress approved emergency legislation. The Senate first approved the bill (S. 686 CPS) on Palm Sunday, March 20, on a 3-0 voice vote of Senators Bill Frist (R-TN), Rick Santorum (R-PA), and Mel Martinez (R-FL). The bill was received in the House of Representatives at 9:02 p.m., and deliberation continued during the unusual Sunday session. When it came to a vote, the bill passed 203-58 (156 Republicans and 47 Democrats in favor, 5 Republicans and 53 Democrats against), with 174 Representatives (74 Republicans and 100 Democrats) not present on the floor at the time of the vote. The vote concluded at 12:41 a.m. EST; President Bush returned from vacation at his Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas to Washington, D.C. and signed the bill at 1:11 a.m., when it became Public Law 109-3.
Read more about this topic: Palm Sunday Compromise
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