TX: Hutchison refuses to back immigration bill

Fri, Jun. 22, 2007
Hutchison refuses to back immigration bill
By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT
Houston Chronicle

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON WASHINGTON -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who has been pressured heavily by the White House and Republican leadership to support a sweeping immigration overhaul, announced Thursday that she will vote against reviving the bill when it returns to the Senate floor next week. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also said he will oppose bringing up a bill he deems "deeply flawed."

What's new

As No. 4 in the Senate GOP hierarchy, Hutchison is the highest-ranking Republican to break with her leadership on a domestic policy issue of major importance to President Bush. She denounced the legislation as an unacceptable amnesty offer to illegal immigrants. The opposition from Cornyn was expected.

Why it matters

Immigration reform has deeply split the Republican Party, pitting business interests that favor the Senate bill against a restive conservative base that views it as nothing more than a repeat of the 1986 amnesty. The bill pairs increased border and interior enforcement with a new guest-worker program, and most controversially, would place millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. Its supporters in the White House and on Capitol Hill had held some hope of persuading Hutchison to back the key procedural vote. She closed the door firmly on that prospect, though she held out the slender possibility that she could support the bill on final passage if it is amended to her liking. Hutchison is adamant that illegal immigrant adults be required to return to their home country temporarily within two years of getting a visa, saying such a requirement would "strip the amnesty out of the bill." But Hutchison said her amendment is unlikely to pass. And she does not support a weaker version, expected to be rolled into an amendment by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., which would limit the return-home mandate to heads of household rather than all work-eligible adults


http://www.star-telegram.com/legislatur ... 45466.html

sweet!

I have called and faxed her office so many times we should be on a first name basis. Senator Hutchinson is a career politician and knows what is best for her political future. She had me worried for awhile she would flip. One of her staffers said she had been fielding calls from angry voters all week. When i asked are the calls for or against she said ninety nine out of one hundred were against. I hope she stays true to her voters. I know my vote will depend on her vote.

added to the homepage

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=N ... e&sid=2299

added note

ALIPAC NOTE: This is good news! The Amnesty supporters needed Hutchison. Please call, fax, and e-mail her office to thank her for saying No on Cloture and No on Senate bills 1348 and 1639!

God willing the deathblow is landed to this treasonous legislation!

Thoughts/plans to hold the government accountable and get lawful enforcement done anyone?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HappyTexan

I have called and faxed her office so many times we should be on a first name basis. Senator Hutchinson is a career politician and knows what is best for her political future. She had me worried for awhile she would flip. One of her staffers said she had been fielding calls from angry voters all week. When i asked are the calls for or against she said ninety nine out of one hundred were against. I hope she stays true to her voters. I know my vote will depend on her vote.

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Your statement above is so true. I have been emailing, faxing and calling her everyday and basically saying a yes vote was a vote to end her political career. Now I need to call her - after her NO vote - and thank her.

I'm so glad to hear this. Like HappyTexan I too was worried about her and Cornyn.

I know this is great news!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good to know that a Zogby poll can get Kay in line.

Dixie

Quote:

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KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON WASHINGTON -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who has been pressured heavily by the White House and Republican leadership to support a sweeping immigration overhaul, announced Thursday that she will vote against reviving the bill when it returns to the Senate floor next week. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also said he will oppose bringing up a bill he deems "deeply flawed."

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Wonderful news!!! Thanks for posting, Dixie! :D

YES! Love that women I swear! Now if only she can boot these illegals out of our state (Texas) then HEACK! The women should be president!

Seeing as to she is not, and she isnt...then she is a sell out. Turning her back to one American at an time.

I have no doubt that Hutchinson ha been leaning towards Amnesty and the only thing to change her mind was the continous roar from We the People.

The time has come and the Internet has provided the means to take back OUR country from special interest.

Those that have continued to back this treasonous piece of crap need to NEVER be forgotten as the sell outs they are.

It's time for Americans to self-rule, vote for the only candidate that has stood up for We the People.

Click here: Tancredo for President - Official Campaign Site

http://www.teamtancredo.com/

Trancredo - All the Way!

Hats off to our Kay! However, Texas is just like every other state. In an article from The Dallas Morning News written by Dianne Solis on April 12, 2007, she reports that our county hospital, Parkland Memorial Hospital, provided $22.4 million to illegal immigrants for non-emergency services last year. The most frightening part of this to me is this was to treat everyday, non-life-threatening ailments. Naturally, any emergency room across the nation must provide life saving care, but illegal immigrants are using our county hospitals for all their medical maladies. The cost is more than Dallas County can tolerate. We just simply cannot afford to allow this to continue.
I'd like to make several other points about the immigration problem here in Texas, but since it's a national crisis, I'd like to weigh in on that please. Our nation wouldn't have any problems with undocumented workers if employers would follow the laws that are already on the books. All prospective employees must provide two forms of identification (usually a drivers license or some other kind of picture ID) and that all important Social Security card. Employers are required to fill out and keep an I-9 form which documents what forms of ID were presented when that person was hired. When this same company has to make their quarterly report, they use these Social Security numbers to identify each employee. When fake Social Security numbers hit the IRS computer, that machine throws a hissy fit, and kicks the information back to the employer to be corrected. Everyone is entitled to make a mistake...sometimes more than a few, but once it is obvious that these companies are hiring undocumented workers, they should have to pay hefty fines. There is no way to get around hiring someone for cold hard CASH, but if you want to abide by the LAW, once you have paid anyone over $600 in one year, you are required to provide them with an IRS-1099 earnings statement at the end of that year. Even that can be scrutinized by the government because the employer is going to want to use these 1099s to offset his own IRS taxes that have to be paid. When an individual tries to report....say...5 to 10 employees with 1099s that indicate they worked for him for quite some time, the employer should also be fined. He should have set himself up with the government to be an honest employer who participates in the Social Security, IRS Withholding, and Medicare Programs. The problem here is the employer does not want to match the 7.65% that is being taken out of an employees pay for these programs, so he uses the excuse of the "1099 worker" as being contract labor. By doing so he bypasses the law and makes coming to the US for jobs very attractive to illegal immigrants. Texas Governor Perry plans to build the highest wall possible across the Texas-Mexico border. He plans to take the Texas Rangers and the Texas National Guard off their regular duties to patrol this barrier, and it still will not slow down the steady stream of undocumented workers coming into Texas. Washington would rather use the usual smoke and mirror tricks to take your attention off the obvious. We need to hold our EMPLOYERS responsible for hiring illegal workers-not the illegal workers for coming here trying to make a buck. All we have to do is FOLLOW THE LAW.