The six New York Republicans in the House of Representatives are in support of having a vote about immigration reform in 2014 but are currently unwilling to make any criticisms of the leaders of their party for not having yet set a timetable to do so.
Last June a comprehensive immigration reform bill was passed by the Senate and while the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has recently commented that President Obama is not trusted to enforce any legislation they pass by Republicans, Senator Charles Schumer has pointed out that this is no excuse, as any laws could be given an effective date to start after Obama ends his second and final term in the Oval Office.
Schumer, who was one of the Gang of Eight that crafted the Senate bill, says that lawmakers in the House of Representatives could make use of a maneuver referred to as a discharge petition in order to force the House, which is controlled by the Republican Party, into taking a vote on the immigration issue and points out that groups that normally align with the Republicans but are very much in favor of immigration reform include chambers of commerce, the agriculture industry, the Catholic Church, high-tech groups and evangelical churches.
Long Island Representative Peter King says that Boehner has successfully laid the groundwork for such a vote and notes that “If it’s not done this year, it definitely will be brought up next year.”
