Fin reg reform voting House scheduled to vote Tues (passage widely expected). Senate tenatively scheduled for Thurs, although Brown + Byrd throw wrench into this plan

Fin reg reform voting - where things stand - House scheduled to vote Tues (passage widely expected).  Senate tenatively scheduled for Thurs, although Brown + Byrd throw wrench into this plan. 

· Bottom Line - Dems have 58 votes (56 seast minus Byrd + 2 independents).  In May, they had 4 Republicans vote for the Senate fin reform bill (which gets to 62).  In May, 2 Dems voted against (which drops to 60).  So if they lose Brown (he is threatening to vote against the bill), the Dems would have to get 1 of the Dems to turn and vote in favor. 

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· Democrats control 57 seats in the Senate and Republicans 41.  Two independents usually vote with the Democrats.  After Byrd's passing, that 57 drops to 56 for the time being (although the Gov of WV can reappoint a successor to Byrd).

· The May Senate vote was passed 59-39. 

· In May, 4 Republicans votes for the Senate bill - Senator Scott Brown of MA, Senator Susan Collins and Senator Olympia Snowe, both of Maine, and Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa.

· In May, Two Democrats, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Maria Cantwell of Washington, voted against the Senate financial regulatory reform package in May.  Two other Democrats, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, did not cast a vote on the bill back in May.

· Byrd successor - this Politico article discusses the next step - http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/39092.html