A bipartisan group of House members unveiled an immigration overhaul bill Thursday and promised action before summer, jumping ahead of Senate colleagues who are struggling to reach consensus.
Led by chief sponsors Luis V. Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., the group of 10 lawmakers said the “stars are aligned” for immigration law changes that proved impossible to enact a year ago.
Despite their optimism and good cheer, the group was not joined by the relevant subcommittee or committee chairmen or ranking Republicans, nor any of the elected House Democratic leadership.
Gutierrez and Flake have been working with Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., for several months, and both had previously indicated that the Senate would move first on the legislation.
Kennedy and his staff initially said they planned to have a bill ready to go in early March. But Kennedy and McCain, who had disagreements over portions of the new legislation, instead are considering starting with last year’s Senate Judiciary Committee bill instead.
“I’m hopeful that the House introduction today will help spur the necessary negotiations in the Senate to help forge the right kind of compromise,” Kennedy said in a statement.
The Senate passed an overhaul bill last year, but the House passed a bill focusing on border security and enforcement and never considered a broader bill.
“The Senate, we have to remember, has gone through the process already,” said Flake. “I think it was important that we move first. I think, frankly, they are waiting for an indication from the House.”
Gutierrez said he met separately March 21 with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., about the yet-unnumbered bill. He said both are committed to moving immigration legislation.
Gutierrez said Reid has set aside the weeks of May 14 and 21 for floor debate. He also said Hoyer told him House leaders are committed to passing a comprehensive bill before August but did not make a specific promise of floor time.
“The Democratic leadership has been very clear about this issue,” Gutierrez said. “They want comprehensive immigration reform passed.”
California Democrat Zoe Lofgren, who chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law, will hold hearings before marking up any bill.
A spokesman for Lofgren said she saw the Gutierrez measure for the first time Thursday.
“As the subcommittee moves forward with comprehensive reform, we will review all relevant legislation in our efforts to build a system that is balanced, enforceable and fair,” Lofgren said in a statement.
Like last year’s Senate legislation, the Gutierrez-Flake legislation would combine border security and worksite enforcement with a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
The bill would broaden that eligibility to those who were in the
Illegal immigrants who wish to become citizens would have to leave the
They also would have to pass a criminal background check, pay all back taxes and a $2,000 fine — $500 to stay in the country and $1,500 to proceed to the citizenship path — and meet English and civics requirements.
The bill would cap the guest worker program at 400,000 workers, which is double the cap in last year’s Senate bill.
Gutierrez said passage will require “substantial Republican support.”
“There’s a lot of explaining to do,” he said. “But as we explain, more and more will support it.”
Foes of a broad legalization program say the Gutierrez-Flake measure would be too lenient on illegal immigrants.
“For us, this is an amnesty bill,” said
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