http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... e1-20.html

Step lively, Congress, on border reform

Jun. 20, 2006 12:00 AM

House Speaker Dennis Hastert's trial balloon was made out of lead, which means immigration reform could still happen.

Just a week ago, Hastert announced plans to "take a close look" at the Senate immigration bill before trying to reconcile it with a flawed House bill. The idea bombed. Supporters of comprehensive reform said the stall tactic would destroy the momentum of the Senate's compromise bill, a bill that could actually result in a saner immigration policy.

Arizona Reps. Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake were among those who forcefully urged Hastert not to take the unusual step of holding hearings before naming members to a conference committee that will reconcile the opposing bills.

By the middle of last week, Congressional Quarterly was reporting that Hastert "seemed much less committed" to a glacial process. There was less talk about hearings.

House Majority Leader John A. Boehner was also downplaying his previous endorsement of Hastert's previous go-slow approach. Boehner said a final vote on immigration reform could happen before Congress recesses in August.

The backward waltz came in response to a wave of criticism in Congress, and it suggests that lawmakers feel pressure to act on this issue.

Finally.

Arizonans have been waiting a long time as migrants die along the border and southern Arizona communities pay the high cost of Washington's failure to enact an enforceable immigration policy.

Americans have become fed up watching employment opportunities continue to lure illegal immigrants even as employers insist they have no way of knowing who is eligible to work and who isn't.

The nation needs an enforceable policy based on common sense, economic need and respect for human dignity.

The Senate bill comes far closer to accomplishing that than the so-called get-tough approach approved by the House late last year. A comparison of the employment verification provisions of both bills by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggests that the Senate bill is actually tougher and smarter in several respects.

Unfortunately, common sense, economic need and respect for human dignity don't make for the kind of sizzling sound bites many candidates hope to record before November. Anti-immigrant rhetoric is fierier; so don't expect a quiet conference committee.

But you can expect something.

The thud produced by Hastert's balloon shows that the House and Senate may, indeed, start the noisy, messy business of hashing out a final bill on this issue this summer.

Finally.