Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007--Continued

Floor Speech

COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 2007--Continued -- (Senate - June 06, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I would state for the record that last year before cloture was successfully invoked on immigration, the Senate disposed of 30 amendments with 23 rollcall votes. This year, after votes just completed, the Senate has disposed of 41 amendments, with 27 rollcall votes, 11 amendments more than when we last considered this bill under the other party's control. Not counting side-by-side alternative amendments, there have been 18 Democratic amendments offered, compared to 21 Republican amendments. Counting side by sides, it is 21 Democrats, 22 Republicans. So I would say to my friend from Texas, by standards of the last debate on the immigration bill, we have considered 11 more amendments, we have had more rollcall votes, there have been more side by sides and other votes offered from the Republican side than the Democratic side.

So I say at this point this has been a fair and complete process. It is now 12:20 in the morning. We have worked a long day; probably have 2 long days ahead of us. But to argue that Members have not had their chance to express themselves through the amendment process is not reflected in the actual vote.

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I do not dispute the numbers. They are what
they are. But I would point out that this bill did not go through the Judiciary Committee. Last year when the McCain-Kennedy amendment and the bill considered in the Judiciary Committee, I believe there were 62 amendments filed. I think there were a lot more filed than that, but actually 62 amendments. So there was a process at the Judiciary Committee level last year which gave people an opportunity to have their positions heard. That has not been the case this year. I would point that out as an obvious point of distinction. I hope there is not going to be any attempt to try to force this bill through before Senators are ready to consider all or at least a reasonable number of amendments, because I do not think we will have any alternative but to vote against cloture, to allow debate to continue and allow additional amendments to be heard.

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in the interests of allowing Senator Cornyn and other Senators to offer amendments, I make a unanimous consent request that cloture votes be postponed tomorrow until 4 p.m. so Senator Cornyn and others who wish to can offer amendments before the cloture vote.

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