Immigration "reform". One big fight over a bill no one likes. Lets pick up the low hanging fruit.
The visa bill that Sen. Lee had and Sen. Hatch put in the the larger
immigration bill. The I-Squared Act. Lets pull it back out and pass it
separately. It helps grow our own engineers and math whiz experts, etc.
(STEM) but allows companies to import those workers if we don't have
them, while the private sector funds the STEM education for US citizens.
We also should not force out of the country the high tech overseas
student home after we educate them, to compete with the US. (They should
be allowed to get a Green Card).
We need to fix legal immigration. The best plan I have seen is to have a
decent no quota but sponsored system of immigration with the ability
later to become a citizen, Rep. Dougall's bill 2011 HB 469 in 2011 has
the first part of that.
See what I wrote about it prior to the SCOTUS decision.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/51917989-82/469-immigration-116-federal.html.csp
with followup comments at:
http://fredcox4utah.blogspot.com/2011/06/hb-469-answer-to-immigration-puzzle.html
It is the best bill that was supported by both sides of the immigration debate.
The bill is found here:
http://le.utah.gov/~2011/bills/hbillenr/hb0469.pdf
Based on the Supreme Court ruling, the majority opinion, congress needs to be involved.
We need a simple E-Verify law for companies 15 or larger to protect
against ID theft. I tried to run a basic plan earlier this year which
was fought by our own Salt Lake Chamber. Even the Salt Lake Tribune has
said this needs to be fixed. See:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/53902872-82/employers-verify-federal-immigration.html.csp
See also Item #4 at:
http://fredcox4utah.blogspot.com/2012/07/ut-league-of-women-voters-voters-guide.html
If the "big" US immigration bill passes it will just further divide us,
just like the attempt to combine immigration bills in to one bill, 2011
HB 116 did. You get a bill that no one really likes. We need more
consensus building and less compromise. If we focus on what we agree on,
we can accomplish the most good.
It is great congress is talking, but trying to have one "all knowing"
immigration bill isn't going to work. It hasn't worked for decades.
Congress should run a bunch of small simple bills. Then we actually may
get something that will help business, families, and our nation.
[update, I finally actually watched this, instead of commenting on it. The bulk of my comments are from concerns I raised at a government affairs committee meeting with a local chamber of commerce on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. I don't believe we need to wait between most of the bills, but Sen. Lee nailed my feelings and experience from 2011 Utah Legislature on Immigration reform]
http://youtu.be/HnzFETkdxSg
