WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that despite four of his amendments being accepted to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, he still voted against the bill.
“My amendments that were accepted to the bill help make this bill a little easier to swallow, but in the end anything with amnesty is a poison pill,” Grassley said. “I voted for amnesty in 1986 when we had a 1 million illegal immigrant problem. Now we have a 12 million illegal immigrant problem. Amnesty didn’t work in 1986 and I don’t think it’s going to work in 2006.”
Grassley had four amendments included in the final bill, along with his amendment that requires employers to use an electronic verification system to validate that any new hire is legally in the United States to work.
Grassley expects to be a member of the conference committee that works out the differences between the House and Senate passed bills. “The House and Senate bills are so far apart that it’s difficult to foresee a compromise in the near future,” Grassley said.
Here are summaries of Grassley’s amendments.
Back Taxes – This amendment requires illegal immigrants who qualify for amnesty through the provisions of the underlying bill to pay all outstanding tax liabilities. The underlying bill currently says that the illegal immigrant only has to pay taxes for the past three of the five years that they have worked. It also makes technical corrections so that the IRS can establish rules and procedures to determine if an illegal immigrant has paid the taxes they owe.
Citizenship and Immigration Services Reform – This amendment codifies existing offices at the Citizenship and Immigration Services that investigate internal corruption and benefits fraud. Grassley has been outspoken about the need for reform in the agency’s handling of internal fraud. This amendment will ensure that internal corruption and fraud investigations don’t go ignored.
Medical Exams – This amendment requires spouses and children of immigrants who hold the newly established H2C visa to undergo medical exams. Illegal immigrants who have been here 2-5 years must return to their home countries before receiving an H2C visa. The underlying bill exempted spouses and children from proving that they meet certain health standards.
Poverty in Mexico – This amendment authorizes the State Department to award a grant to a land grant university to establish a national program for a broad, university based Mexican rural poverty mitigation program.
Employee Verification, Title III – This amendment creates a new worker verification system for employers to determine if their workers are eligible to work in the United States. A detailed summary of this amendment can be found on Grassley’s website at http://grassley.senate.gov and clicking on “news.”
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