The Business Council of Alabama has signed a U.S. Chamber of Commerce letter to Congress in support of comprehensive immigration reform that is currently being considered. In fact, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today began another round of considering markups, or amendments.
The BCA joined hundreds of other professional organizations from across the country in endorsing the letter. “As you know, America’s current immigration system is broken and does not meet the needs of our citizens or businesses,” the letter states. “We recognize that a broad-based approach is needed to fix our immigration system, with sensible laws and enforceable guidelines that will help protect our borders and meet the needs of our nation, both economically and socially. We support reform that will improve our competitiveness, attract and retain the best talent and the workers we need, secure our borders, and keep faith with America’s legacy as an open and welcoming society.”
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s markup meetings could last the remainder of May. The immigration bill has the backing of the so-called “Gang of Eight” senators who seek a vote of at least 70 votes in order to encourage the U.S. House to act. U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., a member of the Judiciary Committee, in recent days has attempted to add amendments to the bill but two amendments were not successful. The bill, S. 744, is titled the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. The bipartisan legislation was introduced on April 17, and the committee began consideration of the legislation on May 9, the committee said. Information is online here.
-Dana Beyerle