« Washington Lobbying March 23, 2006 | Main | Bill to Broaden Immigration Law Gains in Senate »
March 27, 2006
Senate panel passes immigration bill!
This just in on CNN.com;
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Senate committee on Monday approved what its chairman called "comprehensive" immigration legislation, including a temporary guest-worker program.
The Judiciary Committee had rushed to finish the election-year legislation, with the full Senate scheduled to begin debate Tuesday.
Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, told the Senate after the panel vote that he expected "considerable controversy when the bill reaches the Senate floor."
"It is a very emotional issue; it is a very contentious issue," he said, adding that the committee "had a very civil debate."
He said the bill takes a "substantially different approach" than a House measure that was approved last December, which he called "an enforcement bill."
"Our legislation is comprehensive, including a temporary guest-worker program and including an approach to deal with the approximately 11 million undocumented workers in the United States," he said.
Posted by VisaLawyer at March 27, 2006 06:36 PM