Speech #1090135986

We have worked through some difficult amendments. Some could have gone either way without destroying the delicate coalition. and others would have perhaps been killer amendments which would have fractured the bill. which has not happened. For those who are opposed to the bill or want to limit Immigrants. the Bingaman amendment reduced the number of future guest workers from 350.000 to 200.000. We had a very spirited and contentious debate on an amendment by Senators CORNYN and KYL which would have precluded H2C guest workers to selfpetition. Then Senator KENNEDY came back with a modification which opened up selfpetitions which. in my view. is indispensable if we are not to put the immigrants at the mercy of the employer and provide the background for unfair treatment by employers to hang the sword of Damocles over the heads of the undocumented immigrants. We had a very spirited debate on what to do about English. whether it is the national language or the common and unifying language or how to categorize it. In my view. there was not a great deal of difference between the amendments offered by Senator INHOFE and Senator SALAZAR. We do know that we are looking for English to be a unifying factor. There is in the law today a series of procedures where other languages are printed for balance in a variety of contexts. but I think ultimately we will work that through on a satisfactory basis. There was an amendment by Senator KYL to strike the provisions that the green card by H2C workers would be a path to citizenship. That was a very important amendment not to adopt but to keep that path open consistent with the remainder of the bill. The amendment to allow undocumented immigrants to receive credit for Social Security even though those payments were made during the time of illegal status. I think. was decided properly. although a close vote. 50 to 49. So that survived.