Once again last night, we saw a vivid demonstration from the Press Gallery of how Congress can suddenly act after days of inaction, as an $18 billion jobless benefits bill gained final House and Senate approval.

The revised plan would extend until June 2 both jobless and COBRA health benefits, along with a series of other measures, like once again delaying a 21% cut in Medicare payments to doctors.

There had been talk early in the day about this debate spilling into Friday, but when a three day weekend gets dangled in front of lawmakers, things can change pretty quick.  

And that's what happened first in the Senate, as around 4:30 pm, the dam broke.

"We could move to a series of votes in as quickly as five minutes to WRAP THIS SUCKER UP," read an excited email to reporters.

Soon after, the Senate approved a non-binding amendment that put Senators on the record about a Value Added Tax (85-13 against it) followed soon after by a final vote on the jobless benefits extension.

The final vote was 59-38 - three Republicans broke ranks to vote for the bill, Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) and both Senators from Maine (Snowe & Collins).

And soon after 6pm, Senators were headed for the airport, with no votes until Monday evening.

Usually, the House would be long gone by Thursday evening, but Democratic leaders stuck around just in case things got moving in the Senate, and so two hours later, the jobless benefits bill had been approved in the House and was on its way to the President's desk.

The House vote was 289-112 in favor of the bill.  Only one Democrat voted no, Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN).

While only three Republicans backed the bill in the Senate, 49 voted 'Yes' in the House.  You can see the vote breakdown at http://bit.ly/9TT5A8 .

One interesting part of that vote breakdown is the list of 29 House members who didn't make the last vote of the week.  Some of them probably gambled that the vote wouldn't happen and headed home.  

A few were with President Obama down in Florida (Reps. Kosmas and Meek).  Some were likely already down at the big Tea Party rally at the Washington Monument (Rep. Pence).

Others might have been leaving town on a Congressional delegation trip to somewhere important.  Here is your list of the 29 House members who missed the $18 billion jobless benefits vote; 17 are Republicans and 12 are Democrats.

Barrett (R-SC), Berry (D-AR), Bilbray (R-CA), Boehner (R-OH), Boyd (D-FL), Brown (R-SC), Capitol (R-WV), Edwards (D-MD), Gallegly (R-CA), Gonzalez (D-TX), Hoekstra (R-MI), Jackson Lee (D-TX), Kline (R-MN), Kosmas (D-FL), Luetkemeyer (R-NE), McCotter (R-MI), Meek (D-FL), Miller (R-FL), Neugebauer (R-TX), Pence (R-IN), Radanovich (R-CA), Ruppersberger (D-MD), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Speier (D-CA), Tiahrt (R-KS), Towns (D-NJ), Wamp (R-TN), Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Young (R-AK).