Senate Passes Immigration Reform Bill; Now Heads to the U.S. House of Representatives

SHRM UPDATE

On Thursday, (June 27, 2013), by a vote of 68-to-32 the Senate passed its immigration reform bill, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744). The final bill did not include any additional amendments, including the E-Verify amendment SA 1634 as proposed by Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).In an effort to encourage his colleagues to vote on his amendment, Mr. Portman said earlier in the debate on the Senate floor “I believe strongly that if we do not have a stronger employee verification system at the workplace, this legislation is not going to work.”  However, negotiations on amendments came to an abrupt halt late on Wednesday (June 26) with opposition from Senators who were asking for consideration of additional amendments.  SHRM and our strategic affiliate, the American Council on International Personnel (ACIP), supported the Portman – Tester amendment and encouraged our respective members to urge their Senators to support SA1634.  Members from both organizations sent over 1,000 letters to U.S. Senate members.S. 744 is now headed to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.  Congress will adjourn tomorrow for the one – week Fourth of July recess.  SHRM and ACIP will track developments in the House and will be actively engaged on behalf of the HR profession in advocating for changes to the bill.  We will update SHRM and ACIP members on developments regarding E-Verify, high-skilled provisions and a Trusted Employer program.