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As I mentioned last week, the House is working on a major immigration bill. A flurry of legislation is set to come to the House floor before Christmas, and one of those bills looks to be this bill to secure the borders.
This bill would eliminate the “catch and release” program that currently plagues our immigration system. This year alone, 115,000 illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico have been apprehended by the Border Patrol, only to be released due to a lack of detention space. Realizing that this practice presents a clear danger to our nation’s homeland security efforts, the bill requires all illegal immigrants apprehended at any U.S. border to remain in custody until removal from the country.
The bill also combats the hiring of illegal workers by establishing an employment eligibility verification system. The legislation also calls for increased penalties for illegal smuggling and human trafficking and for those who re-enter the country illegally after having been previously deported for the same violation.
These provisions, in addition to increased federal funds for greater detention space and more Border Patrol agents already approved by Congress, are a step in the right direction to regain control of our borders and bring some accountability to our immigration system.
Good News For Texas Cattle Producers
The weekend brought good news for our friends in the cattle industry. At long last, Japan has taken the steps needed for American beef to make its way back into the Japanese market. In 2003, the last year before Japan enacted its ban, the U.S. beef exports to Japan were valued at $1.4 billion. I have been part of a group of House Agriculture Committee members that has been calling for Japan to stop dragging its feet on this issue. Now, thanks to the leadership of President Bush and the hard work of Ag Secretary Mike Johanns and the entire agriculture community, American beef will once again be available to Japanese consumers.
My Rural Public Housing Authorities Bill On This Week’s Agenda
Some of you may remember that I introduced legislation earlier this year to ease the reporting requirements for public housing authorities (PHAs) in smaller, rural communities. These PHAs have very limited staff and often are one-man operations. Since 1992, the federal government has required all PHAs to compile detailed reports and plans every year to be approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
My legislation will come to the House floor for a vote this week. If it passes and becomes law, PHAs with 250 or fewer public housing units and Section 8 vouchers will be exempted from this reporting requirement. As a result, these PHAs will be able to focus their limited resources on providing affordable housing to rural residents rather than filling out paperwork to send to federal bureaucrats.
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