FOXNews.com: Leahy says Senate must act 'quickly' on immigration, offers Republicans 1 hearing

FOXNews.com FOX News Network - We Report. You Decide. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Leahy says Senate must act 'quickly' on immigration, offers Republicans 1 hearing Apr 2nd 2013, 19:25 Letter from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy to Sen. Marco Rubio on immigration reform Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy said Tuesday that he would consider holding just one hearing on comprehensive immigration legislation -- which is still being drafted -- despite calls from some Republican senators for a lengthy review.  Leahy clarified his hearing timetable in a letter to Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a key member of the "Gang of 8" senators drafting an immigration bill. Rubio had written to Leahy last month cautioning that "excessive haste in the pursuit of a lasting solution" is "dangerous" to the goals of immigration reform. He said a "rush to legislate" would be "fatal to the effort of earning the public's confidence."  Leahy, D-Vt., said he wants an open process, but reiterated that the Senate Judiciary Committee which he chairs has already held a number of immigration reform hearings -- though none of them have considered this particular proposal.  Leahy wrote that once that proposal is introduced, "I will consider scheduling a hearing ... to examine that proposal."  He added: "I will, however, remain mindful of the urgent need for us to actually get to the work of debating and considering amendments without unnecessary delay because this is an issue to which our attention is long overdue."  He said Congress must act "quickly and decisively" or else lose the opportunity to pass a bill. He reiterated that he wants a vote in the Senate by this summer.  The comments appeared to challenge concerns voiced by both Rubio and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., that the Senate might rush a bill to the floor. Rubio, R-Fla. said Sunday that the latest proposal should "only be a starting point" and other senators need to weigh in.  "Eight senators from seven states have worked on this bill to serve as a starting point for discussion about fixing our broken immigration system," he said. "But arriving at a final product will require it to be properly submitted for the American people's consideration, through the other 92 senators from 43 states that weren't part of this initial drafting process. In order to succeed, this process cannot be rushed or done in secret."  The package is said to include:  A program to bring tens of thousands of low-skilled workers into the country as part of a guest worker system.  A pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants. The proposal would include a 10-year wait for a green card, and a total 13-year wait to apply for citizenship.  Strengthened border security, likely tied to the pathway to citizenship.  Requiring employers to use E-Verify to check immigration status of workers.  Overhauling the legal immigration system, authorizing more visas for high-skilled workers.  Sessions said the immigration reform process, at the committee level alone, should take months, not weeks.  "It is one thing to make promises, it is quite another to write a bill that actually works," Sessions said in a statement.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions