Dems to bar Republicans from health care negotiations.

Just wanted to get this on the record...

From AP:

House and Senate Democrats intend to bypass the traditional joint conference committee when they negotiate a final compromise on health care legislation, officials said yesterday, a move that will exclude Republican lawmakers and limit their ability to force votes that might delay action.

Democratic aides said the final compromise talks would essentially be a three-way negotiation involving top Democrats in the House and Senate and the White House, giving unusual latitude to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

Those officials said there are no plans to appoint a formal House-Senate conference committee, the method Congress most often uses to reconcile differing bills. The plan is to skip the formal meetings, reach an agreement, then have the two bodies vote. A 60-vote Senate majority would be required for final passage.