'100-Hour' Agenda Is Completed

Democrats completed their six-bill, 100-hour legislative agenda Thursday night, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) proclaiming, "This was only the beginning."

The last of the "Six for '06" bills that Democrats promised voters in the fall passed about 87 hours after the 110th Congress opened Jan. 4.

The Democrats' clock, which counted only the time spent directly on the six bills, showed that 42 hours and 15 minutes had elapsed when the roll call ended on the last bill, energy legislation that would reimpose billions in fees, royalties and taxes on the oil industry.

Republicans complained that the bills were hammered through after Democrats reneged on a campaign promise to let the opposition offer amendments and help shape legislation.

"Many of the flawed 100-hours bills either face an uphill battle in the Senate or are destined for a veto pen," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).

Pelosi dismissed the complaints. "It was about keeping our promise, not about adhering to some process," she said.