Senate Accepts Conference Report on HR 2642

This afternoon the Senate accepted the Conference Report on HR 2642, sending the bill to the President. The vote was a bipartisan 68 to 32 margin. With nine Democrats voting Nay the bill could not have passed without the support of a slim majority of the Republicans.

Again, all of the chemical safety and security measures that were in the original House language have been removed and there are just a few biosecurity program authorizations remaining in the bill.