[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16461]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, more than 18 months ago, the Senate passed a 
comprehensive and bipartisan immigration bill that would strengthen 
neighborhoods across the country, further secure our borders, inject 
certainty into our economy, boost our STEM and tech community, create 
jobs, protect employers, keep families together, our deficit would be 
reduced by nearly $1 trillion, and fix our Nation's broken immigration 
system. That was 18 months ago.
  More than a year ago, we introduced H.R. 15, the Border Security, 
Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which would 
have moved comprehensive immigration reform forward, a debate so far 
that has been dominated by partisan politics and obstruction.
  All we are asking for is the chance to vote on the bill in this body, 
a simple up-or-down vote. That is all we ask. We are running out of 
time to act on immigration reform and pass legislation that an 
overwhelming majority of Americans have asked the House to approve for 
more than a year.
  Again, I ask this body to put the interests of the country above 
those of party politics and give H.R. 15 the up-or-down vote it truly 
deserves.

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