Reform's chances

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Reform's chances

U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., who cheered Bolton's decision to prevent much of SB 1070 from going into effect, said a chance remains that Congress will return after the elections and push through comprehensive immigration reform. If that's not politically possible - no bill has been introduced in the Senate - lawmakers could try to do a piece of it, such as the DREAM Act, he said. That proposal, which has attracted bipartisan support in past years, would grant legal status to undocumented-immigrant children who have lived here most of their lives if they attend college or serve in the military.

"In the lame-duck Congress, you have people who are not returning, you have people who are defeated, you have people who no longer are under the threat of an election who may look at the subject matter more on what's good public policy rather than how it could hurt their campaigns," said Pastor, the most senior member of Arizona's U.S. House delegation.

http://immigration.visanow.com/blog/...t-a-Standstill
Summer is almost over and election season will soon begin; thus the timeframe for immigration reform is diminishing. Before the November elections, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may abandon comprehensive immigration reform and take the piece meal approach by trying to pass the Dream Act, only a fractional part of overall reform, albeit an important one, effecting undocumented students. Post-November, Democrats insist they won’t try to take up immigration reform or move major legislation during the subsequent lame-duck session. On the contrary, the lame-duck session may be the only and best time to pass CIR. Still, to echo previous assessments, we believe CIR won't realistically be debated until January 2011. Any later than the first quarter of 2011, will risk cross over into 2011 campaigning for presidential re-elections, and relegate CIR to the backburner or completely off the table for another Congressional session.

I thought the House's target adjournment date is October 8th. If that is the case, it means there wouldn't be a lame-duck session, correct?

I'm asking around about that. Get back to you later if I get a response.

Despite the judge's ruling, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said the reform bill isn't going to move forward. Congress is preparing to take a summer recess, and he said Democrats wouldn't likely take up the issue this fall in advance of November's midterm elections.

But he said Democrats, who are expected to lose seats in the House, could attempt to push the bill through with their current majority in the "lame duck" session following the elections. "If they can get away with it, they will," he said.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/politics...0.32b70d6.html