Immigration Reform Debate Begins in the Senate
On Tuesday, June 11, 2013 the US Senate voted by a margin of 84-15 to proceed with discussion of the Senate Bill S. 744 which deals with comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). For more information on the bill itself, please see our article here.
This vote means that the CIR bill will now at least be debated over and potentially amended on the Senate floor. With such a high vote margin in favor of proceeding on immigration reform there at least appears to be a willingness to consider the bill. Senators from both political parties believe that there is sufficient support for the bill to ensure that it will be filibuster proof (a minimum of 60 votes in favor of the bill) and will pass the Senate. There is currently less optimism that the bill, or a bill like it, will meet with similar support in the House of Representatives.
The vote to proceed came on the same day that President Obama made statements encouraging Congress to take up the legislation in order to improve the United States’ immigration system and to offer a pathway to citizenship for the millions of currently undocumented immigrants living in the country. The fact that there was not a filibuster employed against the motion to proceed is a sign that both parties see this proposed legislation as something worth discussing and genuinely considering. The remainder of discussion and amendments in the Senate will likely revolve around proposals put forward by Republican Senators to make the bill more in line with that party’s priorities. The biggest example of such Republican supported amendments is the call for stricter border security triggers before eligible undocumented aliens can become permanent residents. Such amendments, if accepted, may broaden support for the bill for Republicans, making eventual support in the House of Representatives more likely, while simultaneously detracting from Democrat support. The next month of discussion will determine just how much the bill will change, and if for better or worse.
The bill will likely not see a cloture vote (to end discussion) and a final vote (to approve or reject the bill) until the beginning of July. At that point, depending on progress being made in the House of Representatives, the legislation will either go to the House for a vote or a conference of the two houses of Congress will meet jointly in order to make their two CIR bills compatible and presentable in one final bill. President Obama has requested and is hopeful that a final bill will be presented to him for signing into law by the end of the summer.
Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients nationwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled thousands of immigration cases.
At Zhang & Associates, P.C., our attorneys and supporting professionals are committed to providing high-quality immigration and non-immigration visa services. We specialize in NIW, EB-1, PERM, and I-485 cases. In the past
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(06/12/2013)