By a vote of 67 - 31, the Senate agreed to limit debate on the immigration bill and amendments. A vote on final passage of the bill could be taken on Thursday or Friday, depending on whether opponents of the bill ask for 30 hours of debate. In two previous votes, the Senators by a vote of 68 - 30 agreed to waive certain Senate budget rules for the bill and they agreed by a vote of 69 - 29 to adopt an amendment containing Corker-Hoeven border security language.
The Corker-Hoeven amendment includes five triggers that must be met before undocumented aliens can begin to apply for citizenship.
Following party lunches yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he hoped to wrap up the immigration bill by Thursday or Friday, before the July 4th recess as he anticipated.
