Thread: CSpan2 - Senate Convenes (6/5/07; 7:02am PT)

[Transcriber break - ETA ? - 15-20 minutes?]

Kennedy is going along with this amendment because it doesn't hurt his precious bill, but watch him fight like a pit bull on the Cornyn Amendment.

[I'm back ]

Grassley...

(Resuming coverage...)

Speaking on D-G amendment and Y visa.

Says he doesn't support current bill.

US employers should be req'd to recruit and hire US workers FIRST.

Under bill users of Y visa MAY BE reqd to recruit americans through state employment offices.

But, like the entire bill, there are waivers, exceptions, and other loopholes.

The authors will make it seem as though Americans will always be recruited first.

DoL Secretary has wide latitude in determining process and specifics - there are always 'easy ways out'. 'There is a bias against Americans here.'

So we have the D-G amendment; it ensures all employers that use Y visa programs are looking to US citizens 1st, before recruiting non-US workers.

Yields...

[quorum call - pause]

Specter has floor...

Receiving msg from POTUS...

[quorum call - pause]

[Transc note - during the live CSpan2 TV coverage, the captioning along screen bottom states that Reid wants a cloture vote on Wed or Thurs, with this completed by the end of the week; GRRRR!]

[Background music / Muzak? - JS Bach - ensemble type arrangement, featuring flute solo]

Resuming - 12:25pm PT;

Allard has floor...

To comment on his amendment (S1189)

My amend strikes supp sched for Zs.

[Shows chart]

What this part of the bill does, is provide an advantage for those that came in illegally - it is a question of basic fairness.

I'm not concerned about one part of work force vs. another.

This is just to ensure fairness in considering lawabiders vs. others.
Breaking the law does not contribute to enhancing system.

I urge others to support amendment.

Yields...


Fatboy has floor:

I'm opposed to Allard amendment - we have commitment to workers:
you pay the fine, you go to back of the line, etc. we have a way of dealing with these individs.

Allard changes all the previous - (singling out Agricultural workers) - they will lose out in terms of c-ship, etc - because other workers will have more/better skills. He is looking in terms of equity of all workers - we've worked this out.

I hope this amendment would not be accepted.

Yields...


Allard speaks:

Asking for votes - roll call

Allard Amendment (S1189) Vote Results:
(Strikes inclusion / treatment of potential Y Visa holders; esp. w/ consideration to Agricultural workers)

Result: No Pass

Yeas: 31

Neas: 62

(Vote listing TBA as available later)
***Not official nor complete*** ...yet

Imhofe:y
Vitter:y
Allard: y

Kennedy: n
Stabenow: n


Kyl: n
Bingaman: n
Durbin: n
Cardin: n
Brown: n
Sanders: n
Levin: n
Whitehouse: n
Kloubchar: n
Reed: n
Craig: n
Graham: n
Dole: y
Salazar: n
Lincoln: n
Lott: n
Isakson: n
McCaskill: y
Stevens: n
Lugar: n
Feingold: n
Carper: n
Bunning: y
Chambliss: n
DeMint: y
Coburn: y
Cornyn:y
Leahy: n
Roberts: y
Gregg: y
Bennett: n
Casey: n
Coleman: n
Sessions: y
Sununu: y
Martinez: n
Murray: n
Nelson (NE): y
Bayh: n
Biden: n
Ensign: y
Alexander: y
Reid: n
Voinivich: n
Webb: n
Cochran: n
Baucus: n
Cantwell: n
Nelson FL: n
McConnell: y
Wyden: n
Menendez: n
Corker: y
Enzi: y
Kerry: n
Hatch: n
Smith: n
Kohl: n
Pryor: y
Dorgan: y
Mikulski: n
Crapo: n
Lautenberg: n
Hagel: n
Akaka: n
Thune: y
Landrieu: y
Domenici: n
Murkowski: n
Inouye: n
Harkin: n
Rockefeller: y
Shelby: y
Bond: y
Burr: y
Warner: n
Feinstein: n


Tester: n
Clinton: n
Schumer: n
Snowe: n
Collins: n
Boxer: n
Conrad: y

Byrd: y
McCain:
Hutchison: y

Durbin has floor...

Debate about Durbin Amendment -

Speaks ...

This bill will give chance to hundreds of thousands of people outside the US to come here and work...

But I believe there should be 1 princip behind bill: Consider Americans for jobs first.

Eliminates loopholes in language of bill -

Urge support for bill.


Specter -

This amendment would simply delay the hiring of important special hiring or workers. It would mandate a 90-day delay due to reqd advertising.

It ought to be defeated.

Calls for votes on amendent - S1231 (Durbin-Grassley)

[clerk calls roll]

The Allard amendment was another so-called "poison pill" not agreed to.

The fix is obviously in and the writing is on the wall as far as the U.S. Senate is concerned. All but one amendment to date that would have improved the bill has not passed. The only exception is the amendment sponsored by Sen. Bingham reducing the temporary guest worker program from 400,000 to 200,000 annually has been the only improvement approved so far. The so-called "Pact" has done an excellent job of keeping their original bill intact.

Looks like we're going to have to depend on the U.S. House of Representatives to defeat this bill - of course we pretty much already knew that, didn't we?