U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum to Host Immigration Discussion

Congresswoman Betty McCollum, who represents Oakdale in the U.S. House, announced Friday plans for a July 22 listening session about immigration reform.

The discussion is set for 10 a.m. Monday, July 22, at the State Capitol, room 15.

Labor, business, faith, law enforcement, education and nonprofit officials will speak about “the negative impacts of inaction and urgency for reform,” according to a release from McCollum’s office.

The following is from the release:

In June 2013, the U.S. Senate passed bipartisan immigration reform legislation (S. 744) by a vote of 68 to 32.  Despite overwhelming support from the American people, House Republican leadership refused to take up the bipartisan Senate bill.  It is unclear if Speaker Boehner will bring a comprehensive immigration reform bill to the House floor.

Recent polls show a majority of Americans support a comprehensive immigration reform package that provides a pathway to citizenship for qualifying undocumented immigrants. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report showing that comprehensive immigration reform, as written in S. 744, would result in a net savings of $135 billion from FY2014-2023.  The CBO also found that immigration reform would have positive economic impacts on overall job growth and long-term solvency for Social Security.