POLITICO

Arizona jumpstarts immigration bill

By KASIE HUNT | 4/27/10 4:47 AM EDT


Democrats have no specific timetable for immigration, but the next recess begins May 28. AP

With a new Arizona immigration law dominating the national debate, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has accelerated the timetable on immigration reform and is planning to bring a bill straight to the Senate floor in hopes of quickly drawing some Republicans to the negotiating table.

The Republican targets for compromise are the usual suspects — Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, George LeMieux of Florida, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Dick Lugar of Indiana — all of whom have expressed willingness to negotiate on immigration. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is planning to meet with several of these GOP senators this week to see whether there’s hope for a bipartisan immigration bill.

Democrats have no specific timetable for immigration, but the next recess — a natural deadline for legislation — begins May 28.

The tough political dynamics has some moderates sidestepping questions about whether they will support reform. “We just have to focus on jobs and job creation,â€