On June 27, 2013 the Senate, in a 68-32 vote, successfully passed S. 744, the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act." (AILA Doc. No. 13041760.) Now all eyes have turned to the House of Representatives, specifically Republican leadership: Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). (AILA Doc. No. 13072545.)
As Congress heads into the second session of the 113th Congress, the House of Representatives have until the end of 2014 to pass immigration reform bill(s) before the Senate bill (S.744) will die. A number of factors will influence Speaker Boehner’s decision to bring immigration legislation up on the floor of the House, including, but not limited to, the primary and November mid-term elections, the budget and debt ceiling limit deals, the Tea Party caucus, and public opinion. Some are pointing to the Speaker’s willingness to buck the more conservative elements of his party during last year’s budget deal and his hiring of immigration expert Becky Tallent as his immigration policy advisor as optimistic signs of things to come; however, the Speaker has yet to give any indication if, or how, he intends to move forward on addressing all aspects of the immigration reform debate.
The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Goodlatte, have passed four piecemeal bills (all of which AILA opposes): H.R. 1773, the Agricultural Guestworker Act, H.R. 2278, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement (SAFE) Act, H.R. 1772, the Legal Workforce Act (mandatory E-Verify), and H.R. 2131, the Supplying Knowledge Based Immigrants and Lifting Levels of STEM Visas (SKILLS) Act. (AILA Doc. Nos. 13042953, 13060654, 13071149 and 13071145.) Earlier, in May, the House Homeland Security Committee passed a bipartisan bill on border security, H.R. 1417, the Border Security Results Act of 2013. (AILA Doc. No. 13060647.) The once promising "Group of Seven" in the House has officially fallen apart, with three of the four Republicans leaving the fragile coalition and no legislative language ever introduced by the group. Other bills have since been introduced in the House, but have yet to receive hearings or votes in committee. This includes H.R. 15, a comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced by Democratic leadership that encompasses the successful Senate bill, but replaces the controversial "border-surge" amendment with the House bipartisan border security bill. (AILA Doc. No. 13100402.)
For daily updates on what's happening in D.C. and on immigration reform check out Immigration Politics 2014. (AILA Doc. No. 12120666.) For all InfoNet postings related to Immigration Reform please visit our Immigration Reform 2014 Featured Topics page.
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