$787 Billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Passes, President Expected To Sign By Monday

In a late session held over specifically to get enough votes in to pass the bill the Senate pushed through the $787 billion economic stimulus bill supported by President Obama.

Voting on the bill was held over to after hours so the key vote which was held by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, could be counted. The Senator had been in Ohio attending a memorial service for his mother. In what I'd consider a questionable move, President Obama dispatched a government plain to easy travel for the Senator from his home back to the Capitol.

The bill needed exactly 60 votes to pass and Senator Brown's vote was the swing vote. Had Brown not be there to vote the bill wouldn't have had enough votes to pass. No Republicans voted for the bill in the House on Friday, and just three voted to back it in the Senate.

President Obama is expected to sign the bill on Presidents day, Monday.

Details of the stimulus package were released Thursday night, and it includes billions of dollars that will reach the tech sector. Some of which includes $7.2 billion for broadband programs, $2 billion for health information technology, and $650 million for the digital TV transition.