Harry Reid revives Senate amnesty bill; "clay pigeon"

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced an updated immigration bill Monday, launching one more attempt to conclude debate on the contentious issue and approve the measure in the Senate before Congress breaks for the 4th of July holiday.

...Revived as new legislation, the redrafted immigration bill reflects the substance of the 14 Democratic and 13 Republican amendments approved during the first two weeks of Senate debate, including a phaseout of the temporary guest worker program.

The new bill also includes a proposal by Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to establish a $4.4 billion fund, paid for by fees and fines collected from undocumented immigrants, exclusively for financing border security.

...Though senators and advocates supporting reform are being careful to avoid calling any measure a "poison pill," the list appears to be problematic enough that Senate leaders are at least considering employing the rare tactic of packaging amendments to avoid losing critical support and votes.

Under the procedure, Reid would introduce a single, 22-part amendment, divisible into component parts for debate. Known as a "clay pigeon," it would offer the bill's supporters a means of staging the debate more or less free from interference, with the objective of keeping enough senators together to maintain the 60 votes needed to thwart a filibuster.

Immigration2007a · Mon, 06/18/2007 - 20:20 · · Importance: 1