Kelly Ayotte Votes to Start Debate on Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill

Kelly Ayotte Votes to Start Debate on Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill. Strong bipartisan vote of 84 to 15 advances important debate Jun 11, 2013.

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) voted today to start debate on the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act - bipartisan immigration reform legislation that includes provisions to secure our border, implement an employment verification system, create a tough but fair means for those who are here illegally to earn legal status, and allow high-skilled and other needed immigrants to work here legally and help grow our economy. On Sunday, Ayotte became the first Republican senator outside of the bipartisan "Gang of 8" to announce her support for the legislation - providing a key vote for the bill.

"Today's vote reflects overwhelming bipartisan support for having this urgent debate," said Senator Ayotte. "We need immigration reform that serves our country's best interests. That means stopping the dangerous flow of illegal immigrants into our country through greater border security, more effective enforcement and a vigorous employment verification program. This legislation also modernizes our legal immigration system to allow high-skilled and other needed immigrants to work here legally and help grow our economy, addressing a critical need I've heard frequently from New Hampshire's business community."

KEY COMPONENTS OF BORDER SECURITY, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, AND IMMIGRATION MODERNIZATION ACT:

Securing the Border:

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must create, fund and initiate a border security and border fence plan within six months of bill's enactment.

o The Secretary would be directed to present Congress with a "Southern Border Security Strategy" and a "Southern Border Fencing Strategy" within six months of enactment, to include additional border agents and surveillance and identify where fencing, infrastructure, and technology should be deployed. $1.5 billion would be made available from the fund for constructing additional fencing and $3 billion for the security strategy.

• DHS must achieve 100 percent border awareness and at least 90 percent effectiveness in all border sectors (within five years of bill's enactment)

Stopping the Flow of Illegal Immigrants:
• Employment Verification - ‘E-Verify' - technology must be implemented. Under the bill, all employers will be required to use the E-Verify system over a five year phase-in period. Employers with more than 5,000 employees will be phased-in within two years. Employers with more than 500 employees will be phased-in within three years.

• Employers would face fines and civil penalties for violations of the E-Verify requirements, and possible criminal penalties for extensive and knowing employment of undocumented workers.

• To stop abuse of the existing visas system, DHS must implement an electronic biographic visa exit system at all international airports and seaports by the end of 2015.

• The bill would require DHS to report all visa overstays to the appropriate law enforcement, intelligence, or national security agency, and require that enforcement resources are used to locate the visa overstay and commence removal proceedings.

Earning Legal Status:

• The legislation also includes strict requirements for those illegal immigrants who have been here since before 2012.

o No undocumented immigrant is eligible to apply for temporary status until the border security and fencing plan have been submitted to Congress and the implementation of those plans is underway.

• Before any of these 11 million could earn a green card, they would go to the back of the line, not receive means-tested federal benefits and Obamacare subsidies, and they would be required to pay fines, pay taxes, and pass background checks, learn English, and secure a job.

• The minimum most immigrants would have to wait to earn a green card would be ten years - and 13 years for naturalization. And this timeline is dependent on first meeting border security and employment enforcement measures.

Boosting the U.S. Economy Through Legal Immigration Reform:

• After companies make every effort to recruit Americans to perform particular jobs and can't find any - especially those with expertise in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) - they are forced to look elsewhere.
o This legislation addresses that shortfall and will strengthen our economy.
o The bill expands the highly skilled H1-B visa program from 65,000 up to 180,000 to fill job shortages.

• The bill establishes a new guest worker visa program for lower-skilled workers that ensures the future flow of workers is manageable, traceable, and fair to American workers.

• The bill also allows current undocumented farm workers who have made a substantial prior commitment to agricultural work in the United States to obtain legal status through an Agricultural Blue Card Program.

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Delivering the Weekly Republican Address Luke Messer FULL TEXT VIDEO 06/08/13

WASHINGTON, DC – Delivering the Weekly Republican Address, Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN) says President Obama and Senate Democrats should put politics aside and work with Republicans to prevent an immediate student loan interest rate hike on July 1st. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Smarter Solutions for Students Act, which prevents student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1st and helps students take advantage of low interest rates whenever available. Rep. Messer is president of the Republican freshman class and a member of the House Education & the Workforce Committee.

NOTE: The Weekly Republican Address is embargoed until 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, June 8, 2013. The audio is accessible now, and video of the address will be available to view and download once the embargo is lifted. A full transcript follows. “Fellow Americans: I’m Congressman Luke Messer from Indiana. It is my honor to speak to you today on behalf of my Republican colleagues. “This summer, more than nine million undergraduates will take out a federal student loan. That’s nine million Americans at the start of their journey toward the American Dream.

“As a young man growing up in a small town in Indiana, I was taught: if you want a great life, get a good education. So I did—but it wasn’t easy. When it came time to go to college, I received scholarships and Pell grants. I took out loans and worked my way through school with jobs ranging from collecting garbage and waiting tables to umpiring baseball games.

“What makes this country great is that my story is not exceptional. Every year, millions of American students see their career dreams begin with the help of federal student financial aid.

“Unfortunately, in just three weeks, on July 1st, interest rates on many federal student loans are set to double, from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. “No one wants this to happen, especially in a job market where millions of recent college grads are having a hard time finding full-time work.

“So the House of Representatives acted – not only to stop the immediate rate hike, but also to protect students over the long-term. Our proposal will reduce rates immediately for most borrowers and get Washington politicians out of the business of arbitrarily setting interest rates. “You see, in recent years, there have been times when interest rates on student loans have been higher than other loans in the marketplace. For example, you could get a used car loan cheaper than a student loan. That’s just not right.

“Taking the politics out of student loans is a common-sense fix. It’s a plan that mirrors a proposal in President Obama’s budget. As a matter of fact, one nonpartisan education expert said, and I quote, ‘the two proposals are really on the same page.’

“Unfortunately, rather than seize this common ground and move the ball forward, the president resorted to campaign-style tactics, stepped out into the Rose Garden, and denounced the plan. The President actually attacked a proposal similar to one he himself offered just weeks ago. His maneuvers are yet another example of the arrogance of power that has taken root in this administration, and it prevents us from addressing the people’s priorities.

“Making matters worse, this week Democratic leaders in the United States Senate tried to take the easy way out and maintain the status quo, which will only hurt students in the long-run. After the usual noise and bluster, they failed to pass any legislation that would help student borrowers.

“Our young people deserve better. The effective unemployment rate among young people in this country today is 16 percent. That is way too high. Too many young people have had to come home and tell their parents that they can’t find a job.

“Student loan relief is just one example of the solutions Republicans have put forward to get our economy back on track. Our plan for economic growth and jobs will make life work for families and expand opportunity for every American.

“We need to get our economy back on the right track and give our next generation their opportunity to live the American dream. Working together, we can. I hope the president and the Senate will join us to fix this problem and make life a little easier for millions of students and their families.
“Thank you for listening.”