Mr. Speaker. in keeping with our promise to have a more open process in the House. the Rules Committee is bringing to the floor today another open rule. This one provides for the consideration of H.R. 668. the Criminal Alien Deportation Improvements Act with 1 hour of general debate. While any Member of the House may offer an amendment under this rule. priority in recognition will be given to those Members who preprint their amendments in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. This procedure means that Members can be better informed about the issues they will have to vote on. and reduces the possibility of legislation by ambush. During its consideration of this bill. the Judiciary Committee adopted an amendment by the gentleman from California which would have provided a new entitlement which was not paid for. The Rules Committee was faced with a situation where this bill could not even have been considered unless the Budget Act was waived. and if the original provision had been left in place. the total cost of the amendment would have been added to the deficit. At the same time. many of us were sympathetic to what the gentleman from California was trying to donamely reimburse State and local governments for the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens who commit serious crimes. My State of New York. along with a number of others. has been saddled with heavy financial burdens because the Federal Government has failed to control the Nations borders effectively. The compromise solution which was worked out involves two steps. First. the House agreed to an amendment to the prisons bill. H.R. 667. which would authorize the funds necessary to reimburse States and localities for the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens who have committed serious crimes. Next the Rules Committee put a provision in this rule which made in order as a new base text the Judiciary Committee amendment in the nature of a substitute minus the Berman .mendment which violated the Budget Act. This took out the budget busting provision from the text that the House will be amending.
Keywords matched
Deportation illegal aliens