| Americans for Democratic Action 2007 Senate Scorecard description
|
Motion to invoke cloture on Kennedy (D-MA) … Motion to invoke cloture on Kennedy (D-MA) legislation to overhaul U.S. immigration policies and institute new border security measures, including an electronic verification system. It would allocate some green cards on a “merit-based” system based on certain criteria, including a high demand occupation, proficiency in English, and higher education degrees. Half of the green cards would be allocated based on family relations. It also would provide for a temporary guest worker program that would allow workers to remain in the United States for up to six years, provided that they return to their home country for a year after every two years they remain in the United States. wo years they remain in the United States.
|
| Americans for Democratic Action 2007 Senate Scorecard position
|
Aye +
|
| Americans for Democratic Action 2007 Senate Scorecard source
|
Http://www.adaction.org/pages/publications/voting-records.php +
|
| Bill of vote
|
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 +
, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007/Amendments +
|
| Billnumber
|
S1348 +
|
| Chamber
|
111th United States Congress +
, U.S. Senate +
|
| Congress number
|
110th +
|
| Congressnumber
|
110 +
|
| Drum Major Institute 2007 Senate Scorecard description
|
The American middle class relies on the ec … The American middle class relies on the economic contributions of immigrants. While the overall immigration bill this amendment is attached to recognizes these contributions and would allow them to continue under the Z visa program, this amendment eliminates that pathway to legalization. Instead, by taking out the bill’s only means for otherwise law-abiding undocumented immigrants to remain in the country legally, the amendment effectively endorses a policy of imprisoning and deporting the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants currently helping to support the economy as workers, entrepreneurs, taxpayers and consumers. This mass deportation is the explicit aim of many of the bill’s supporters. But imprisonment and deportation is not only a bad policy for the middle class but also a tremendously expensive and ultimately unworkable one. Many undocumented immigrants would still evade deportation, while others would continue to enter the country illegally. Attempting to enforce such an unworkable policy would further drain scarce enforcement resources.
Equally important is the way this legislation would exacerbate the threat that undocumented workers pose to the wages and workplace conditions of aspiring middle-class Americans. Because unscrupulous employers can threaten to have their undocumented employees deported at any time, these immigrants are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace. This underground workforce competing in the labor market with American citizens perpetuates a "race to the bottom" in which employers, especially those in industries requiring unskilled labor, are driven to reduce wages and benefits and degrade employee working conditions in an effort to compete with companies that employ undocumented workers under substandard conditions. While this legislation seeks to drive undocumented immigrants out of the workplace completely, the more likely effect would be that they remain in the country but are driven further underground, increasing their vulnerability and further undermining middle-class wages and working conditions. middle-class wages and working conditions.
|
| Drum Major Institute 2007 Senate Scorecard position
|
Nay +
|
| Drum Major Institute 2007 Senate Scorecard source
|
Http://www.drummajorinstitute.org/library/report.php?ID=63 +
|
| Modification date
|
|
| Roll call number
|
180 +
, 175 +
, 206 +
|
| Scorecard vote
|
Drum Major Institute 2007 Senate Scorecard +
, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2007 Senate Scorecard +
, Americans for Democratic Action 2007 Senate Scorecard +
|
| Session number
|
1 +
|
| U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2007 Senate Scorecard description
|
Despite strong opposition by the Chamber, … Despite strong opposition by the Chamber, the Senate, by a vote of 74-24, agreed to an amendment to S. 1348, the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Reform Act, that would have cut the number of temporary workers in a future essential worker program from 400,000 to 200,000 a year. The Chamber supports a temporary worker program that realistically takes into account the needs of the economy in setting the number of visas to be granted. Ultimately, the Senate was unable to garner the support necessary to limit debate and bring S. 1348 to a final vote, and this amendment was not passed into law. nd this amendment was not passed into law.
|
| U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2007 Senate Scorecard position
|
Nay +
|
| U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2007 Senate Scorecard source
|
Http://www.uschamber.com/issues/legislators/07htv senate.htm +
|
| Categories |
Labor, Immigration and Retirement Policy (U.S.) +
, Tagged legislation +
, U.S. legislation +
, Record votes +
, Congresspedia +
|
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007/Amendments
