[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 882]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          SUPPORT THE LEAP ACT

  (Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska. Madam Speaker, I rise as a sponsor of H.R. 
3429, the LEAP Act. We all agree that immigrants should come to this 
country legally, and LEAP will remove the magnet that brings 
undocumented workers to the country in the first place, jobs.
  LEAP will improve current employment verification programs so that 
businesses can make sure that employees are legally authorized to work 
in this country. Right now, employers are in a catch-22 situation. 
Under the law, they cannot hire illegal immigrants; but they do not 
have all of the tools necessary to hire legal workers.
  The bill is not anti-immigration. I certainly recognize the many 
benefits that legal immigrants bring to this country. Most people who 
come across the border without proper documentation only want to 
improve their lives and the lives of their families. But we must 
remember that there are a lot of people who also want to come to 
America and must wait years, perhaps, to come legally. It is not fair 
to them if we do not enforce the law.
  Madam Speaker, I hope all of my colleagues will support this common 
sense approach to discourage illegal immigration.

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