Thread: Lobbyists eye smaller immigration bills

Lobbyists eye smaller immigration bills
By Kevin Bogardus
Posted: 05/06/08 05:55 PM [ET]

Lobbyists are pressing Congress to pass smaller, targeted immigration measures to help a variety of industries, sensing that a broader solution is unlikely in an election year.


Already, lawmakers are considering about a half-dozen bills to deal with smaller issues, many of them addressing jobs that are primarily filled by immigrant labor.


The increased attention to rifle-shot bills comes one year after the Senate failed to move comprehensive immigration legislation that would have combined new border security and enforcement measures with a temporary-worker program and a plan to allow many of the 12 million illegal immigrants to stay, work and earn a path to citizenship.


With a variety of ideas moving — from making an employee verification process mandatory to increasing the number of high-tech visas issued each year — lobbyists from the coalitions backing the comprehensive bill are keeping an eye on each other to see who gets what.


If one sector gets attention on Capitol Hill, expect the others to make their case.


“If they are going to seek a fix, we are going to be right there with them seeking a fix as well, and vice versa,â€

lobbyists from the coalitions backing the comprehensive bill

AKA: the coalition of greed.

micro amnesties!

W

Like we are all that stupid! Not a chance congress!