Greg Siskind on Immigration Law and Policy

Section by Section Summary of S.744 (With Amendments)

OK, I hope I've organized this all correctly and some amendments won't have correct section numbers until the drafters get to it, but I think you will be able to follow.

 

Bill summary plus judiciary amendments

House Judiciary Committee Releases Skilled Worker Bill

I'm working on my own summary of this bill and will post shortly.This is known as the SKILLS Visa Act and was introduced by Representative Daryll Issa (R-CA). The House Judiciary Committee is looking at piecemeal legislating and this is the skilled worker piece.

 

 

 

House skilled worker bill

Summary of Day's Amendments to Senate Bill 744 - 5/21/2013

And here are the final committee amendments to S. 744. The big news today was the agreement to Senator Hatch's demands on H-1B changes (and some surprise additional language in that amendment on green cards) as well as Senator Leahy's decision not to jeopardize the bill by voting on same sex marriage provisions.

 

5-21 amendments

Breaking: Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Immigration Bill

13-5. On to the floor. Full summary of amendments coming shortly.

Summary of all 5/20 Amendments to the Senate Bill

Awhopping 31 amendments were approved in yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee markup of S.744 so it took me a little longer than I hoped to get them all summarized. But here they are.

 

 

Summary of Amendments from May 20

Summary of Day's Amendments to Senate Bill 744 - 5/20/2013 - Part 1

30+ amendments approved today. I'm still working on my summary, but here's where I am so far.

 

Summary of 5-20 amendments

King: Immigration Reform a Democratic Plot

There's a reason the GOP leadership is hoping immigration reform finally moves this year. They're brand with Hispanic voters is terrible and they need to show that they're a party that has a place for this fast growing segment of the electorate. So they must have cringed when they saw this story on CNN:

A prominent House conservative said Tuesday that the immigration reform bill under consideration in the Senate is part of an ongoing plot to build a massive new Democratic voting bloc.

America's growing Hispanic vote is "a huge boon for Democrats. They have known that for a long time," said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. Their message has been that "we are going to recruit all you folks. That we are going to give amnesty to (you) to become Democrats."

Democratic leaders "are in the process of seeking to establish another monolithic voting bloc," he said. Republicans backing the bipartisan Senate bill "completely ignore that fact."

King made his remarks at a Capitol Hill press conference with several other House conservatives taking aim at the "Gang of Eight" legislation drafted by four Senate Democrats and four Senate Republicans.

 

And this didn't help either.

The GOP has been doing better of late despite King's regular anti-immigrant outbursts. The House Gang of Eight, Boehner's quiet pushing on an immigration bill, Representative Goodlatte's move toward the center on immigration and the choosing of Darryl Issa to craft the skilled worker provisions all give me reason to hope.

June 2013 State Department Visa Bulletin Rundown

Thanks to Nicollette Davis at our firm for summing up the latest Visa Bulletin:

June Visa Bulletin Summary:

Family 1^st - World numbers, China and India advanced 3 weeks to 22 April 06; Mexico advanced 1 week to 15 August 93; the Philippines jumped 7 months to 01 January 00.

 

Family 2A – World numbers, China, India, and the Philippines advanced 3 months and 1 week to 08 June 11; Mexico moved 3 months and 1 week to 08 May 11.

 

Family 2B - World numbers, China, and India moved 1 month and 3 weeks to 08 July 05; Mexico moved forward 1 month and 2 weeks to 15 June 93; the Philippines advanced 1 month and 3 weeks to 01 November 02.

 

Family 3^rd – World numbers, China, and India moved forward 3 weeks to 01 September 02; Mexico moved one week to 08 April 93; the Philippines moved forward 3 weeks to 15 November 92.

 

Family 4^th – World numbers, China and India remain stalled at 01 May 01; Mexico advanced 1 week to 15 September 96; the Philippines advanced 5 weeks to 08 November 89.

 

Employment 1^st – still current in all categories.

 

Employment 2^nd – World numbers, Mexico and the Philippines are still current; China moved forward 2 months to 15 July 08; India remains stalled at 01 September 04.

 

Employment 3^rd – World numbers, Mexico advanced 9 months to 01 September 08; the Philippines moved forward one week to 22 September 06; China moved 9 months to 01 September 08; India advanced 2 weeks to 08 January 03.

 

Employment 3^rd Other Workers – World numbers, Mexico advanced 9 months to 01 September 08; the Philippines moved forward one week to 22 September 06; China moved 5 weeks to 22 October 03; India advanced 2 weeks to 08 January 03.

 

Employment 4^th – still current in all categories.

 

Employment 5^th – still current in all categories.

Number 57
Volume IX
Washington, D.C.

Deal Appears to Have Been Reached by House Gang of Eight

There have been multiple news reports in multiple well-regarded publications painting different pictures on the state of play with the House negotiators on a comprehensive reform bill. But a picture is starting to emerge.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday "Bipartisan House Group Reaches Broad Immigration Deal." The report indicates that most of the provisions for a deal have been worked out except some details on guest workers and health care for immigrants. But they also indicated that if they couldn't work out a deal, Republicans might introduce a bill without the Democrats. Also, several media outlets reported that Speaker Boehner is voicing concerns that the House negotiators have not yet finished a bill. And the House Judiciary Committee appears to be moving forward with its own plan to consider immigration reform in multiple bills rather than a single bill.

The New York Times published a report yesterday that says that the health care benefits question was resolved though how remains unclear. The Times also reported on the issue of W guest workers. Democratic negotiators wanted to use the Senate deal, but Republicans thought the deal favored unions too much. The two sides, according to the Times, will offer competing guest worker plans and allow House members to decide which version makes it. However, it is still possible a negotiated deal can be reached on this issue as well.

According to The Hill,

“We have an agreement in principle,” Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.) said as he and five other members of the group emerged from a two-hour meeting late Thursday afternoon.

Democrats confirmed the deal, and lawmakers said they would meet again next week to put the finishing touches on the legislative text.

The Hill reports that the path to citizenship in the House version would be 15 years compared to 13 in the Senate bill. Representative Carter also indicated he hoped a bill would be introduced in the first week of June.

So it appears that the HG8 is going in to drafting mode on their bill and will have something ready to show the world in about two to three weeks which should be the time the Senate begins debating on the floor whatever is approved the Judiciary Committee. So far so good as far as the goal of having a bill by the August recess.

Summary of Day's Amendments to Senate Bill 744 - 5/16/2013

Title IV was finished and the Senate Judiciary Committee moved on to Title III dealing with interior enforcement. The EB-5 amendment was passed with little discussion, but is fairly massive - 31 pages - and will profoundly change that program. Here's my summary of the changes passed in today's markup. Next week, the markup will be all week and possibly evenings as well. The goal is to get the bill finished in the Judiciary Committee before the Memorial Day recess.

 

 

Summary of S. 744 amendments from 5-16-2013