Thread: Business groups applaud immigration bill

By MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:58 PM ET May 25, 2006


WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Business groups don't think the Senate's version of a wide-ranging immigration bill is perfect, but they like it a lot better than the border-enforcement bill passed by the House in December.
The Senate in a 62-36 vote Thursday afternoon approved a bill that would create a guest-worker program, tighten the border and, most controversially, give millions of illegal immigrants already in the country the chance to eventually gain U.S. citizenship. See full story.
"While some significant issues remain to be resolved, this legislation meets our major priorities and we are hopeful that our concerns can be resolved by House and Senate conferees," said Randel Johnson, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a written statement.
The Chamber has spearheaded a fight against the House version of the bill, which would require employers to verify the legal status of all existing employees as well as new hires. It would also make all illegal aliens currently in the country felons, offering neither a path to citizenship nor a guest-worker program.
The Business Roundtable, a group made up of the CEOs of the nation's largest corporations, and the National Association of Manufacturers, or NAM, praised provisions in the Senate bill that would make changes to the employment-based Green Card system and also increase the number of H-1B visas for skilled workers from 65,000 to 115,000 by 2007. Some immigrants with advanced decrees would be exempt from the caps.
"The Senate should be commended for recognizing that many U.S. companies rely on highly educated foreign nationals, and that current policy governing this situation is in dire need of reform," said Business Roundtable President John J. Castellani.
The Senate bill also toughens employer-verification requirements. It would require employers to use a new online system to verify the legal status of new hires, and would boost fines for employers who hire illegal workers.
NAM President John Engler said his members are in favor of electronic verification, but pointed to worries about potential bugs in the system.
"While we support the move to electronic verification, there is still much work to be done to ensure that the system is easy to use, reliable, and expedites the employment verification process," Engler said. "Employers should not be subject to fines and penalties until the system is clearly functioning."




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We have been doing this half assed all along. Its the BUSINESS LOBBY that is really behind this, and they have gotten away with it scott free!

Who tells the Senate and the Prezidential GROUP what to do?? The money people@!


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

If this bill passes the house too; or a variation of the bill that still sticks it to us..............

I hope that the leaders of all the big businesses end up with son and daughter in laws with 4th grade eductions so they can really get to know what the multiculturalists have had in mind all along. I hope that they have to eat taco's at Thanksgiving and burrito's for Christmas. I hope there are so many bean dishes served at special occasions that their homes will smell like the public sewer system. Since they are so full of gas as it stands they should love this.

Exactly! That is what a few of us have been saying all along on here!

Originally Posted by Badmonkey

We have been doing this half assed all along. Its the BUSINESS LOBBY that is really behind this, and they have gotten away with it scott free!

Who tells the Senate and the Prezidential GROUP what to do?? The money people@!


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Who tells the Senate and the Prezidential GROUP what to do?? The money people@!

Then the "money people" need to feel the pain this fiasco is bringing down. One place to start is to cancel ALL buisness relationships with those businesses that support illegal immigration advocacy groups like National Council of La Raza. Partners of La Raza may be found here: http://www.nclr.org/section/corporate_partners/

I have already canceled my credit cards with MBNA and Wells Fargo Bank, canceled my long distance service with AT&T and my Sprint cell phone, and I've told them WHY there are not longer welcome in my home and wallet. I'm in the process of firing my insurance company of 22 years (State Farm) that covers my vehicles and home. The note holder on my mortgage is also on the list, and though it will be hassle to fire them and move the mortgage elsewhere, it must be done.

I'm beyond livid on this, I'm at the "Naked on the roof with a deer rifle" stage of angry.

I am sure that Tyson Foods, Marriot, and ALL of the casinos in Vegas and Atlantic City are going to have all the cheap jumper labor they need. But I won't stay there or go there or eat their nasty chicken.

I DONT KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO OR WHERE TO EVEN START, BUT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING BIG!! WE HAVE TO LET BIG BUSINESS FEEL THE IMPACT OF OUR BUYING POWER. WE HAVE TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY HAVE INSULTED THE VERY BASE THAT KEEPS THEM DOING BUSINESS IN THE 1ST PLACE!!!!

Ok, this is just a suggestion but tight-fisted protesting in drips and drabs won't even register on the radar. Organizing a "don't buy" protest is overwhelming. So how about this: One person from every state here on this board pays to take out an ad in whatever the largest circulation paper is in their state (full page would be too expensive but must be at least a quarter or no one will see it), and/or whatever the local flier is....with a list of companies in the area to NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM.....and here is the crucial part, the ads must run on the same day so there is more chance for the blip in revenues to be noticed.

Bill Gates was salivating after the walking and talking horse's posteriors in the senate passed the bill. Now he can lay off all his "overpaid" software engineers and hire H1B holders at half the wages he would pay for American workers. I am sending a nasty note to Microsoft.


BOYCOTT VISTA!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw an immigration survey of small business, the majority OPPOSE amnesty because of the tax consequences. About half do support a true guest worker program, where the workers actually return.

This means the Senate bill does not do what small business wants, it is only a few big businesses that want this. Apparently they control the US Chamber.

If we can get Numbers USA, Team America, and the Minutemen to support a boycott of the businesses that finance LaRaza, then they would feel the pain and change their tune.