Posted on 07/01/2006 8:12:11 PM PDT by garbageseeker
Story on the House of Representatives start on hearings on immigrants. The fur will fly on this one.
WASHINGTON - House Republican leaders on Thursday scheduled five new hearings on immigration and said they still hope to send a border security bill to President Bush before 2007.
"We want to make sure the Congress gets this done the right way and not be rushed just because its an election year," said Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois.
For many Republicans as well as some Democrats sensitive about public opinion in an election year, the right way is without provisions in a Senate-passed bill that would bestow legal status on millions of illegal immigrants.
"We can send an immigration bill to the president this year," Hastert said.
At a news conference, Hastert and other senior House Republicans referred to the Senate bill as the "Reid-Kennedy" bill, referencing Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and liberal Democrat Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Kennedy and Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona were the chief architects of the Senate bill. It became known as the Hagel-Martinez bill, after Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Mel Martinez, R-Fla., developed a compromise that, while allowing millions of illegal immigrants to stay, would make millions of others leave. Bush supports letting some illegal immigrants stay and eventually become citizens.
"Two thirds of the votes that passed the bill came from Senate Democrats," House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in explanation.
Republican-led House committees held two hearings here Thursday, one on non-citizens voting in elections and the other on the Labor Department's oversight of high-tech workers in the U.S. on temporary visas.
A hearing on intelligence and border security is scheduled next Wednesday in Washington.
Also on the schedule are hearings July 5 in San Diego and July 7 in Laredo, Texas, on "Border Vulnerabilities and International Terrorism."
The House Education and Workforce Committee will hold a field hearing outside Washington in mid-July on making English the nation's official language and how enforcement of immigration laws affects U.S. workers. The location and date haven't been set.
And the House Government Reform Committee plans a hearing the week of Aug. 14 in Arizona focusing on costs to local, state and federal government "caused by an unsecured border."
Supporters of the Senate bill also plan hearings. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., scheduled a hearing in his state July 5 looking at the need for more foreign guest workers.
Let's just call it the McCaine bill. It has most of his trademarks, chiefly trampling on the Constitution and the laws of the land for some percieved political gain.
Ping
Rep. John Salazar (dem-o-rat, CO) sent my brick back that I sent him to help build the wall on the border. Not really unexpected. At least it wasn't postage due.
Really he sent your brick back? I guess we know where he stands.
Sounds like they are trying to cancel out Specter's shenanigans.
"I guess we know where he stands." He is Sen. Salazar's more liberal brother.
I knew that before I sent it. The others haven't sent them back yet. (I only sent them to dem-o-rats)
Ping
Good, they deverve it.
House Republicans are just pretending to be serious about stopping illegal immigration. Now they are pretending to address the issue by advocating English as the official language. How is making English the official language going to stop illegal immigration? Are hospitals that receive federal funding going to stop treating people who don't speak English? It's another gimmick from the Chamber of Commerce-backed conservative imposters in the House.
I inclined to believe you, but this why the pressure must be maintained on the House leadership to keep their word.
I need Specter's help like I need another ex-wife.
Too bad you couldn't have sent a few illegals instead of bricks, and maybe they might have deported them. I know, I know, wishful thinking.
"Too bad you couldn't have sent a few illegals "
Postage was too much.
LOL
LOL
: )
I am predicting that Pence will now take front and center on the immigration debate and that his bill or something very close will be sent to Bush who will sign it in a New York minute.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.