Senate vote today to move immigration overhaul forward

Ianus · 12:54 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...efits/2385449/

Quote:

The decision of a key Republican to abandon the bipartisan House effort to write a bill on immigration because of worries about health care costs is raising concerns among advocates that the economics of the measure may become critical to passage.

The Senate was scheduled to vote late Monday on allowing the immigration bill to proceed for full debate, which could start as early as Tuesday.

That's when senators can begin proposing, and voting on, a wide range of amendments expected on the 1,000-page bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says he wants to get through all those amendments and vote on the bill before the Senate leaves for their July 4 recess.

Much of the debate of the proposed overhaul, which was scheduled for a key procedural vote on the Senate floor late Monday, has focused on the fairness of granting U.S. citizenship to the 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the USA and the practical questions of how best to secure the 2,000-mile border with Mexico to halt further illegal entry.

But the withdrawal by Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, from the House group that has been working for four years to write an immigration bill could be followed by others if no compromise is reached on how to pay health care costs and other economic questions as they advance on the road to become citizens, bill supporters say.

"I really hoped that Labrador would stay in the room and keep pushing for a reasonable compromise," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which has been rallying support for the immigration bill for years.

"We knew this was only going to get harder," Noorani said. "And it's clear that the debate is going to come down to border and benefits."

Supporters of the bill say legalizing the nation's unauthorized immigrants, and bringing more foreigners into the country on work visas, will be a net economic gain for the nation. But Republicans skeptical about the bill question those assertions, and want to limit the costs on U.S. taxpayers in a variety of ways.

Some of the ways they have suggested further limit unauthorized immigrants' access to welfare programs. Other ideas are to require those who get temporary legal status to pay more in back taxes, bar them from benefiting from Obamacare or ensure that immigrants who could become "public charges" don't have the right to apply for U.S. citizenship.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has made clear he is willing to vote for the immigration package as a whole but only if four financial amendments he is proposing to correct "fundamental flaws" in the bill are addressed on the Senate floor.

"Let me make this point as clearly as I can — if these four issues are not addressed in a reasonable manner on the floor, I will vote against the bill," Hatch said last month as the Senate Judiciary Committee was debating the bill.

Members of the bipartisan group of senators that drafted the immigration law, known as the Gang of Eight, said they are considering Hatch's amendments and others like them. But they insist that they have found a delicate balance on all aspects of the bill and don't want to deviate too far.

"You're going to have all kinds of amendments, and hopefully the eight of us will stick together," Sen. John McCain said.

Here's a look at some of the changes Republicans will be seeking in an immigration bill:

GOVERNMENT BENEFITS

After the bill becomes law, unauthorized immigrants will be able to apply for a temporary legal status. Most will have to stay in that position for 10 years before they can apply for a green card, and three more years to apply to become U.S. citizens.

While they are in that temporary status, the bill prohibits them from most government "means-tested" benefits, including Medicaid, Social Security Income and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps.

But they will be eligible for some benefits. Their children are allowed to attend public school, hospitals are required by law to accept emergency cases and some forms of state and local benefits are open to them. Legislators want to limit that as much as they can.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., plans to file amendments to ban unauthorized immigrants from receiving earned income tax credits and the Child Tax Credit.

"This would grant such benefits to millions and be a substantial burden on our country's finances at a time we're desperately trying to reduce our deficit," Sessions said during debate on the bill last month.

HEALTH CARE

Access to government-sponsored health care has been a big concern for many Republicans.

Under the bill filed by the Senate, immigrants in the temporary legal status will be barred from receiving Medicaid benefits or subsidies under Obamacare. But some Republicans want to lock down those restrictions even further, and in some cases, bar them from receiving those benefits even after they get their green cards or become U.S. citizens.

The office of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of the authors of the Gang of Eight immigration bill, circulated a memo to other offices that suggested the "Obamacare loophole" in the bill be closed. The memo said unauthorized immigrants could get federal benefits once they become legal permanent residents, and suggested an amendment to eliminate that possibility.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, filed an amendment in the Senate Judiciary Committee that would bar all people who had entered or been in the country illegally at any time from ever receiving Medicaid, Obamacare or other means-tested benefits.

And Labrador abandoned the House immigration group over the ability of unauthorized immigrants to access some government-sponsored healthcare benefits. He said that the group had reached an agreement that unauthorized immigrants would be responsible for paying all their own health care, but that they could not reach an agreement on how to write that into the bill.

"Like most Americans, I believe that health care is first and foremost a personal responsibility," Labrador said after leaving the group.

BACK TAXES

When the Senate Gang of Eight introduced its bill, members said that unauthorized immigrants applying to get their temporary status would have to pay back taxes they accrued in the years they've worked in the USA.

But the bill only requires they pay "assessed" taxes, meaning the IRS will only collect taxes on work it knows about. Unauthorized immigrants who work "off the books," meaning they mostly get paid in cash, won't be in that pool. And with an estimated half of the nation's 11 million unauthorized immigrants working off the books, that could be a big pool.

One of the amendments Hatch plans to introduce requires the IRS to go back and calculate the taxes owed on all income. He has said it's a matter of fairness to require them to settle up with the government before they reach the ultimate prize of U.S. citizenship.

And while Rubio has expressed support for Hatch's amendment, others on the Gang of Eight question whether its a good idea, or even possible. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he doesn't know how an IRS auditor would determine exactly how much an unauthorized immigrant owes in taxes if they've been paid in cash with no pay stubs for years and years.

"Conceptually, I'm there. Everybody should pay back taxes, illegal immigrants included," Graham said. "But how do you implement it? Is it workable? It may not be."

I am not sure if the cloture vote will be today or tomorrow according to the articles,but the Senate website indicates tomorrow at 2:15 p.m..

dreamact1982 · 06-10-2013, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ianus

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...efits/2385449/I am not sure if the cloture vote will be today or tomorrow according to the articles,but the Senate website indicates tomorrow at 2:15 p.m..

I think tommorow the vote is at 2:15, because the clown needs to speak some more...Any bets? Will Sessions continue his ramblings or who he will design? I bet if not Sessions not himself then Cruz, Vitter, or Inhofe

The Senate stands in adjournment until 2:00pm on Monday, June 10, 2013. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.744, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill.
The time until 5:00pm will be divided as follows: Senator Sessions or his designee will control 2 hours and Senator Leahy or his designee will control the remaining time.
At 5:00pm, the Senate will resume consideration of S.954, the Farm bill, post-cloture. The time until 5:30pm will be equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.
At 5:30pm, the Senate will vote (voice vote expected) on the Leahy amendment #998 (internet projects in rural areas) and there will then be a roll call vote on passage of S.954, the Farm bill, as amended.
Following disposition of S.954, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.744, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill with Senator Sessions or his designee controlling up to one hour.

2Face · 06-10-2013, 01:05 PM

Isn't cloture vote a vote to END DEBATE? The one that requires the "60 votes" and hopefully "70+" with CIR that everyone is talking about? This is incredible. Everything is going as planned. I get the feeling the House will take this bill up eventually keeping in mind the pace of the bills progress in the past. There's no way those 7 Reps will come up with a good bill.

DA User · 06-10-2013, 01:27 PM

I thought we need 60 votes to move on to the debate or the session stops?

Smooth · 06-10-2013, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2Face

Isn't cloture vote a vote to END DEBATE? The one that requires the "60 votes" and hopefully "70+" with CIR that everyone is talking about? This is incredible. Everything is going as planned. I get the feeling the House will take this bill up eventually keeping in mind the pace of the bills progress in the past. There's no way those 7 Reps will come up with a good bill.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/glos...rm/cloture.htm

Understand my friend? So, when the bill comes up for debate in the Senate, the cloture vote, in part, prevents a legislative jerk (e.g. Sessions) from delaying a vote on the bill through irrelevant seemingly endless rambling.

desice · 02:45 PM

looks like it's headed for well over 60

final vote: YAY 82, NAY 15

Dres2011 · 06-11-2013, 02:46 PM

82 to 15.

Looking good.

VeryNicePerson1 · 06-11-2013, 08:11 PM

LOL @ politicians scratching their heads on implementing a proper back taxes program...NEWS FLASH, it won't work.

Just charge a flat penalty fee and move the fuck on...geezus...

Forum links

Senate vote today to move immigration overhaul forward