Amnesty bills stuck in congressional committees
(CNN) -- President Bush sent up a trial balloon in January on the issue of immigration reform, proposing a temporary guest-worker program for some undocumented workers that would "match any willing employer with any willing employee." The negative response, particularly from his own party, was so swift and definitive that the issue, like the president's plan for the future of space exploration, has disappeared.
Like many policymakers, the majority of Americans appear to be solidly opposed to Bush's proposal. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll taken shortly after Bush's announcement indicated 55 percent of Americans oppose Bush's plan, while 74 percent oppose making it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens.
As a result, a number of guest-worker bills, whether inspired by the Bush proposal or in the works well before he broached the issue, are languishing in committees in the House and Senate. No resolution is expected on any of them this year, even one with the broad bipartisan support of 63 senators.
"I don't see any of those bills moving this year," said Jeff Lungren, communications director for the House Judiciary Committee, where several of the bills rest. "They all have some type of amnesty provision. And amnesty is a very, very hot and touchy subject," he said. Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, a Republican of Wisconsin, is strongly opposed to amnesty, Lungren said, and isn't eager to send to the floor any bills that might offer it.
The most visible of these stalled bills is the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act of 2003, or AGJOBS. Introduced in late 2003, the bill was promptly referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. In July of this year, it was blocked from reaching a floor vote by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican. The measure would allow temporary legal status for undocumented farm workers who have already been working in the United States. The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, has the support of both labor and business groups, 26 Republican senators and 36 Democratic senators.
AGJOBS is in "a state of limbo," said Dan Whiting, press secretary to Senator Craig.
"We've basically been told we're not going to get an open floor vote for the rest of the session because of time."
The senator continues to push for a vote on the bill before the next Senate recess, Whiting said.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, a Democrat of New York, has also attempted to revive AGJOBS, urging immediate action in a letter to Senator Frist dated September 1. The high level of bipartisan support "virtually guarantees that the bill would pass the Senate if it were brought to the floor," Senator Clinton wrote.
But given the strength of public opposition to any legislation with a hint of amnesty, AGJOBS and other immigration reform bills are likely to gather dust on congressional committee shelves until the election is over.
