Channel 2 Action News Washington Correspondent Scott MacFarlane is canvassing the U.S. Capitol to track the Georgia delegation’s every move. Scott is blogging in real-time, exclusively on wsbtv.com

1:31 p.m.

The voting is complete. More than 50 members of the House changed their minds — and their votes — on this financial rescue bill.

Reaction from Atlanta-area Congressional leaders — and exclusive details of what happened behind the scenes here in Washington before this historic vote — tonight on Channel 2 Action News beginning at 5.

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1:27 p.m.

The rescue bill passes easily, with 260+ votes.

Two Georgians, John Lewis and David Scott, changed their votes from Monday. (from “no” to “yes”)

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1:22 p.m.

Tom Price votes no. Jim Marshall votes yes.

The bill passed moments ago, surpassing the 218 threshold for a majority.

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1:20 p.m.

Lynn Westmoreland votes no. He’s standing near the front podium smiling and chatting with colleagues.

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1:18 p.m.

Hank Johnson votes no.

Phil Gingrey votes no.

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1:16 p.m.

John Lewis votes yes.

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1:09 p.m.

Voting has begun.

David Scott is one of the first to vote. He votes “yes.”

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12:54 p.m.

About 10 minutes away. The final Republican speaker has taken his position at the podium.

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio said, “We’re in a recession. It’s gonna be a rough ride. But it’s gonna be a lot rougher if we don’t pass this bill.”

Georgia members of Congress are arriving in the chamber now to prepare to vote.

I’m going to get into position to watch the votes.

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12:48 p.m.

We’re likely less than 20 minutes away. The final speakers, all of whom are House leaders, are beginning their remarks.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who was followed on to the House floor by an entourage of other Congressional leaders, just said, “Americans are in trouble. They’re expecting us to act.”

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12:42 p.m.

Looks like this bill is a done deal. No vote yet. We’re still about 30 to 45 minutes away from that.

But I’m told the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has officially scheduled a press conference for mid-afternoon to laud the passage of the rescue bill. Her top colleagues on the House Financial Services are scheduled to join her.

In the past few minutes, we’ve seen several Democrats announce they plan switch from “no” to “yes” votes, including a pair of veteran Congresswoman representing the Bay Area of California.

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12:38 p.m.

Staffers for David Scott, who remains seated in the same chair he took at 9:45am, just released a statement announcing his decision to vote yes on this rescue bill.

It reads, “Small businesses in Atlanta started running out of short term loan options. They said they would have to start cutting payroll to make ends meet. I believe that in order to help keep employees on the job, we could not wait around for a perfect bill.”

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12:29 p.m.

The vote is going to happen later than expected.

We now expect it sometime between 1:15pm and 2:00pm.

One reason for the delay: Surprise, lots of members of Congress have lots to say. Long speeches. More speeches than expected.

Good news: I’ll be able to give you the official “Yeas” and “Nays” as soon as they’re recorded. I’ll have a close-up view of the “vote scoreboard” inside the gallery.

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12:22 p.m.

Visitors and tour groups picked a great day to stop by the U.S. Capitol.

The hallways are filled with running staffers, network television personalities, and a stream of powerful House leaders.

One of tourists, perhaps realizing his fortuitous timing, wore a T-shirt reading “No Bailout.”

One other development: Hank Johnson’s spokeswoman said she doesn’t believe the Congressman received a lobbying phone call from Barack Obama about the bill. Several members have announced they received calls from the candidate over the past few hours.

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12:16 p.m.

There are still at least two undecideds in Georgia.

Staffers for Republican Tom Price and Democrat Hank Johnson just told me the two men are not yet ready to announce how they’ll vote. Both voted “no” Monday.

Johnson’s office said phone calls from constituents have slowed today. But his spokeswoman said “an overwhelming number” remain against the bill.

Price, who regularly and actively seeks media attention and cameras, is uncharacteristically unwilling to appear before Channel 2 cameras right now. His spokesman hurried off the phone when asked how the Congressman planned to vote.

Neither man is in the House chamber right now.

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12:07 p.m.

John Lewis has already spoken. But he hasn’t left the floor to return to his office, as is the custom for most folks here. He’s watching the proceedings from a seat near the back.

It’s hard to mistake the importance of today’s vote. Lewis, a senior member who has seen so many historic moments in his life, might be taking a pause to watch another.

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12:03 p.m.

David Scott has switched to “yes.” It’s now official.

His chief-of-staff just confirmed it by text message.

I’m told there will now be added foreclosure-relief protections included in the $700 billion bill. Those protections, his spokesman said, are what convince Scott to switch.

That makes 2 Georgia “no” votes that have been switched to “yes.”

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11:47 a.m.

Democrat David Scott is on the House floor right now.

Scott just said, “When we but these assets, we must be sure we can bring down these foreclosures.”

Scott, as mentioned earlier, voted “no” Monday because of concerns about a lack of foreclosure-relief measures.

Scott finished his remarks, without saying for sure how he’ll vote.

The Democrat leading this debate, Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, is standing side-by-side with Scott right now. Frank is promising to work in conjunction with Scott on foreclosure-relief efforts including a Housing and Urban Development program called “Hope for Homeowners”, which isn’t part of this bill.

Frank and Scott just shared an inaudible reference to Hank Aaron and the Atlanta Braves. Judging by body language and the cordial exchange, Scott appears ready to shift to “yes.” More info to come very shortly.

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11:38 a.m.

Another Congressional perk. Free ice cream. A large, stainless steel freezer labeled “ice cream” is positioned just off the House floor.

You know there’s a crisis when most folks in Congress are walking by it without stopping.

A California Democrat named Brad Sherman is now circulating around the House floor passing out orange fliers to his colleagues. He opposes the deal and has resorted to paper handouts to sway others. David Scott, who has been sitting and waiting for an hour for his turn to speak, didn’t take one. Or he simply doesn’t have one anymore.

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11:29 a.m.

Everyone is calling. I mean: everyone.

The President has called some members of Congress. So has Senator Obama. So have the lobbyists (the heads of the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, etc.)

But it’s clear today - *constituents* get the most attention. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland is not taking calls from Administration officials, but he is personally taking some calls from residents of his district.

He also took part in a conference call with Atlanta-area business leaders. His spokesman said Westmoreland will forgo giving a speech on the House floor to instead field some of those phone calls.

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11:19 a.m.

More switches. A Tennessee Republican. A New Jersey Democrat. More people who voted “no” Monday have announced their intention to vote “yes” today.

I’m told a larger group of “swtichers” might call an 11:30am press conference to announce their plans too. Question is: As some switch from “no” to “yes”, are others planning to do the opposite? One Ohio Republican hinted he and others might do just that — upset about additions made to the bill between Monday and today.

Either way, staffers here appear prepared for a long day — just in case. One small office off the House floor has a 4-foot-wide table covered with small bags of glazed Krispy Kreme donuts and Tootsie Roll Pops.

We might need a waistline rescue plan before the day is over.

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11:14 a.m.

John Lewis is speaking now.

Lewis said, “I’ve decided that the cost of doing nothing is greater than the cost of doing something.”

Wearing his glasses near the bridge of his nose, a rose-colored tie, and crisp white shirt, Lewis spoke forcefully in his trademark baritone and said he is now voting “yes.”

Lewis used only a fraction of the time he was granted to speak.

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11:07 a.m.

Seems like a lot of people still want to voice their opinions.

Constituent phone calls and emails are coming in at a heavy volume here at the Capitol. So much so, they’ve slowed the House website and overwhelmed the House phone system. If you called the House switchboard right now (202-224-3121), you’d have a less than 50/50 shot of actually connecting.

Open a new window on your computer a log onto www.house.gov Notice how slow the site moves. Or perhaps you simply received an “error” message.

One Georgia Congressional office spokesman just told me his office has received 2,000 phone calls and email in the past week. That’s an awful lot for an 8 to 10 person office. “Overwhelming” he said.

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10:59 a.m.

If there’s any mystery remaining about the future of this bailout deal, Newnan Republican Lynn Westmoreland’s office is trying to put an end to it.

One of the Congressman’s chief counsels just told me “There will be a vote today. No later than early this afternoon.” When I asked again about a possible delay or change-of-heart, he said “There won’t be one. We’ll be done today.”

Congressman Westmoreland is expected to be a firm “no” against the deal. He voted “no” Monday and told wsbtv.com he thought the rescue plan was a bad deal.

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10:51 a.m.

You’d have thought someone just ordered a fire drill.

The procedural votes just ended and debate has officially begun on the House bailout bill. As the first speaker, embattled New York Democrat Charlie Rangel, began his remarks, hundreds of House members quickly headed for the exit. (bumping into each other in the their haste to exit) They’ll go back to their offices, meetings, or an early lunch in a cafeteria, as the lengthy speeches begin.

The House of Representatives restricts where its cameras can be positioned. This helps mask the nearly empty house chamber during most speeches and debate. Even today, most chairs are empty. Desks are cleared.

The only Atlanta-area representative who remains in the chamber is Democrat David Scott. Scott’s reading the contents of a large, glossy green folder. His chief-of-staff tells me Scott is about to give his floor speech on the bill.

Scott was a “no” vote Monday. The Congressman told me he’d be open to changing his vote, if and only if foreclosure relief money was included. His Jonesboro-based district features one of the highest rates of home foreclosure in the nation.

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10:42 a.m.

All eyes will be on Atlanta Democrat John Lewis today. Lewis moved quickly in, then back out, of the House chamber a few moments ago.

Lewis has indicated he might be one of the “no” votes poised to change to “yes.” Multiple reports said Barack Obama called Lewis to lobby on behalf of the bailout deal. If Lewis were to change his vote, others could follow. Lewis is prominent member of the Congressional Black Caucus, which voted overwhelmingly against the deal earlier this week.

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10:31 a.m.

Some procedural votes are underway right now. They’re agreeing on the rules for today’s debate. The bottom line: they’ve decided there’ll be 90 minutes of debate today.

Body language on the House floor isn’t telling us much about what’s to come. Dekalb County Democrat Hank Johnson sits slumped in his chair, smiling, chatting with a fellow Democrat. Republican Tom Price fiddles feverishly with his blackberry — eyes focused intently on the device — while he holds court, chatting up three of his colleagues.

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10:21 a.m.

Marietta Republican Phil Gingrey was the first Georgian to speak on the House floor today. Gingrey, who arrived at his DC office and opened up his fridge full of Coke at 6am to prepare for the big day, is not going to be swayed.

His spokesman said Gingrey is still a firm “no” on the bailout deal. His floor speech erased any doubt. Gingrey said, “I have struggled with and reflected upon this decision more than any other I made as a Member of Congress. But today, I will be casting a NO vote. I do so after long, thoughtful, prayerful consideration and after hearing from my constitutents on both sides of the issue.”

Gingrey will be in his office during the course of the day. His spokesman says the doctor-turned-congressman will field random phone calls from constituents who call in.

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10:09 a.m.

Today promises to be a historic day in the U.S. Congress. In the coming hours, the U.S. House is expected to vote on a $700 billion financial system rescue plan. The White House has described today’s vote as “make or break” for the nation’s economy. In President Bush’s words, “This sucker (economy) could go down.”

Georgia’s Congressional leaders could hold the fate of the vote in their hands. Our state’s members of Congress voted down an earlier rescue plan this week – almost unanimously. If House leaders can swing some of the Atlanta-area’s representatives, the bill could survive.