More on Scheduled Senate Debate of Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation Next Week
The passage of the CIR in the Senate is reportedly almost assured. The question remains how much change we will see in the Senate's final bill. One of the agreements which the leaders of Republican and Democrat Senators reached as part of the deal involves the procedural matter that will allow "amendments" on the floor to the CIR proposal which the Senate almost passed when the Senators left for the Easter break in April, 2006. It is thus likely that there may be introduced a flurry of amendments on the floor and a fierce battle on these amendments. Accordingly, the liberal version of the Senate proposal may be substantially compromised before it is enacted into a law this year. We will see the first compromise in the Senate this month before the Senate passes its bill. The second compromise will take place during the Senate-House Conference Committee proceeding after May 2006. It is thus almost certain that the current CIR proposal in the Senate may be substantially toned down and compromised to accomodate the hawkish conservative Senators and members of the House. Read on for the news.
Considering the fact that the Senate will procedurally open opportunities for the Senators to introduce amendments on the floor beginning from next week, this may be the last chance for the pro and con lobbysts to make their voices heard and reflected in the Senate's final bill. Such opportunity will include both legal and illegal immigration legislation in the CIR packet. The anti-immigrationists are already charging their batteries and intent to mobilize all of their forces to turn the tides of water in their favor.