US immigration reform bill could pass by July
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TheÂ U.S. congressman who chairs a House Judiciary subcommittee says Congress could pass an immigration reform bill by July, including lifting the limit on how many high-tech engineers can come to the U.S. for jobs.
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Key senators tentatively agreed on a plan to revive a stalled immigration bill on Thursday, aided by President Bush's support for a quick $4.4 billion aimed at "securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site."
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(InfoWorld) - Three major technology trade groups urged the U.S. Senate on Friday to resurrect a wide-ranging immigration reform bill that would expand a controversial skilled-worker visa program. The Senate late Thursday failed to gain enough votes to close debate on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act and bring the bill to a floor vote. The bill, which critics said provided amnesty to illegal aliens living in the U.S., also would have expanded exemptions to the cap on high-skilled H-1B visa programs, a move supported by many tech vendors. [ Analysis:Â Immigration reform's high-tech impactÂ ] The bill would increase the annual H-1B cap from 65,000 to 115,000 and exempt foreign students who have earned a master's degree or higher from a U.S. university from the annual cap. Right now, 20,000 students are exempted from the cap. U.S. tech vendors don't want to lose those workers, especially because many of them have their education supported by U.S. tax dollars at public universities, said David LeDuc, director of public policy for the SIIA (Software & Information Industry Association). "We don't want to export our seed corn," he said. "We don't want [those students] leaving and working for our competitors." The bill also sets preferences based on merit, instead of family connections, for clearing multiyear backlogs for employment green cards, another provision supported by many tech groups. Tech vendors want to keep high-skilled workers in the U.S. under the long-term green card program but often face delays, LeDuc said. The SIIA, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the ITIÂ (Information Technology Industry Council) all urged the Senate to try again to pass the legislation. Negotiations on the bill will continue, and ITI is optimistic the bill will still move forward, said James Ratchford, communications director there. The fate of the bill should become clearer by early next week, he said. LeDuc agreed, saying SIIA is confident the bill can still pass. Many large tech vendors have in recent years urged Congress to expand the H-1B program. In March, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates called for more H-1B visas during a visit to Washington, D.C. Gates said then he had "deep anxiety" about the ability of the U.S. to compete globally. SIIA's position is similar to Microsoft's. "Companies need to be able to hire the best and brightest workers regardless of where they're born," LeDuc said. The H-1B program isn't generating controversy during the congressional debate on the bill. Instead, provisions to allow illegal aliens to become permanent citizens have raised major concerns among many Republicans. But U.S.-based tech worker groups such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA have opposed a higher H-1B cap, arguing that companies use the program to hire foreign workers for less money than unemployed U.S. workers would receive.
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A legislative package designed to stimulate the slumping economy could be passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush within a month, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Wednesday.
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After a week at home with their constituents, the Senate architects of a delicate immigration compromise are increasingly convinced they will hold together this week to pass an  overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, with momentum building behind one unifying theme: Today's immigration system is...
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The Senate is expected to vote this morning on a delicately crafted immigration reform bill that survived a day of legislative wrangling on Wednesday that one lawmaker likened to "trench warfare."
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The Senate is headed for a showdown over immigration reform on Tuesday when lawmakers vote on whether to revive a bill that would legalize millions of unlawful immigrants.
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By Henry J. Waters III, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.  Jun. 11--It's perfect gridlock. Congress won't pass the immigration reform bill presented by George W. Bush, and the president vows to veto any of the versions Congress seems barely able to pass. So the stalemate continues.
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The White House and senators from both parties mapped out possible changes to the stalled immigration bill.
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A controversial immigration bill suffers a setback in the US Senate, as a bipartisan deal threatens to unravel.
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Key elements of the bipartisan immigration measure:
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US senators fail to proceed to an early vote on a landmark immigration bill, in effect scuppering the measure.
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Senate leaders announced an agreement this evening to put a comprehensive immigration bill back on track for further debate and possible passage.
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The best chance to overhaul immigration this year -- depends in large part on how effective the Congressional "Gang of 12" is in insulating the plan from major changes
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To win over the holdouts in her own party, Nancy Pelosi may break the immigration bill into pieces
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Mexican President Vicente Fox called an immigration reform bill passed by the US Senate &amp;quot;a monumental step&amp;quot; in a special address to California&#039;s legislature.
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Congress may have put off immigration issues for now, in the hopes of passing the intelligence reform bill, but a battle over immigration policy may be looming right around the corner.