LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
June 12, 2006

No Word Yet On Immigration Conference

Little action has been taken on Capitol Hill towards convening a
conference committee to meld the Senate's guest worker amnesty bill
with the House's enforcement-only bill. The House has not appointed
conferees, while the Senate has remained quiet as to who the
remaining conferees from their chamber will be. Aides on Capitol
Hill believe that conferees will be selected sometime this month.
FAIR will alert you when conferees are appointed and the schedule for
the conference committee is determined.

House Passes Immigration Related Amendments to the DHS Apropriations
Bill

Last week, the House passed the fiscal year 2007 spending bill for
the Department of Homeland Security. As the bill was debated on the
House Floor, several Members offered immigration related amendments
to the bill. A list of the adopted amendments follows:

˘ Stupak - Increases funding (by offset) for the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement by $5 million.

˘ King (IA) - Increases funding (by offset) for Immigration and
Customs Enforcement by $2 million.

˘ Marshall - Increases funding (by offset) for the employment
verification program under USCIS by $20 million.

˘ King (IA) - Prevents state and local governments who refuse to
share information with federal immigration authorities by adopting
"sanctuary policies" from obtaining federal funds under this act.

˘ Kingston - Prohibits the department from using funds in the bill
to provide a foreign government with information relating to the
operations or location of the Minutemen or other private border
patrol groups along the U.S.-Mexican border in California, Arizona,
New Mexico or Texas, unless the information sharing is required by an
international treaty.

House Immigration, Border Security and Claims Subcommittee Hold
Hearing on Better Security for Travel in Western Hemisphere

On Thursday, June 8, 2006, the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on
Immigration, Border Security and Claims held an oversight hearing on
the need for implementing the 9/11 Commission's call to increase
security for travel in the Western Hemisphere. The 9/11 Commission
Report states, "Americans should not be exempt from carrying
biometric passports or otherwise enabling their identities to be
securely verified when they enter the United States; nor should
Canadians or Mexicans. . . . The current system enables non-U.S.
citizens to gain entry by showing minimal identification. The 9/11
experience shows that terrorists study and exploit America's
vulnerabilities." [page 388]

The hearing examined the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism
Prevention Act requirement for better document security standards for
travel within the Western Hemisphere by eliminating the so-called
"Western Hemisphere Exemption" that currently allows travel to and
from the U.S. within the Western Hemisphere without needing a
passport. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will
require all travelers within the Western Hemisphere to have a
passport or another accepted document that establishes the bearer's
identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the U.S. Currently U.S.
citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and
Central and South America are able to enter the U.S. by providing
proof of nationality, such as a birth certificate, and a
government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license.
DHS has a January 2008 deadline to implement the WHTI.

Immigration Legislation Introduced to Mirror Mexico's Immigration
Policies

Representative John Linder (R-GA) introduced legislation last week
titled the "U.S. General Population Act." Through the accompanying
statement issued by his office, Congressman Linder said:

The question of immigration will, in my opinion, become the defining
issue of the next generation. Unfortunately, the debate over securing
our borders and protecting the interests of our citizens is too often
demonized by the opposition and turned into an ugly accusation of
racism. For this reason, I have introduced the U.S. General
Population Act, a bill designed to align the immigration laws of the
United States with those of Mexico. This bill simply reflects the
same immigration restrictions implemented by Mexico with the same
consequences for those in violation.

The Congressman's statement continued by setting forth the provisions
of the U.S. General Population Act:

o Requires the Department of Homeland Security to regulate our laws
toward the goal of full assimilation for legal immigrants into a U.S.
culture.

o Strengthens the government's ability to regulate the entry into and
exit from the United States, whether through land, water, or air
transportation.

o Affords legal immigrants the ability to become permanent residents
after five years in the United States.

o Allows for the full registration of all foreign nationals in the
United States.

o Reinforces a prohibition on illegal entry into the United States.

o Increases penalties for violations of immigration law, including
stiffer fines and time in prison for repeat offenders or human
traffickers.

New Cosponsors of Key Bills

The following members signed on to good immigration legislation this
past week. If your legislators are listed, please use the phone
numbers provided to thank them for supporting good legislation.
Follow the links below to learn more about these bills.

Thank these members for supporting good reform legislation!

H.RES. 20 - House Resolution Disapproving of the U.S./Mexico Social
Security Totalization Agreement

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) (202) 225-2401
H.R. 3137 - The CLEAR ACT of 2005
Rep. Mark Green (R-WI) (202) 225-5665