NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Congressman Mike Thompson announced that he has co-authored a bill to reform the country's immigration system.
H.R. 15, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, is the House version of the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the Senate.
“Not only is passing this bill the right thing to do for our country and in line with our nation’s most fundamental principles, it will boost our economy and lower our debt,” said Thompson. “The Senate has passed a tough, fair, bipartisan comprehensive reform bill that strengthens our borders and offers an earned pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants already living, working and raising families here. It’s time the House did the same.”
This House bill contains the same provisions from the bipartisan Senate-passed bill (S. 744) that protect workers, unite families, and offer immigrants an earned pathway to citizenship.
It also contains the same provisions from the bipartisan Senate-passed bill that reform our visa programs and the enforcement of immigration laws.
The only difference between the House and Senate bills is that the House bill replaces the Senate’s border security provision with a provision unanimously passed by the House Committee on Homeland Security in May.
While the Senate bill spelled out a specific border security plan, the House legislation simply directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop a strategic plan to secure the border which will then be approved by Congress.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), enactment of the bipartisan Senate-passed comprehensive immigration reform bill would reduce the deficit by $850 billion.
The CBO also estimates that the Senate-passed bill would increase economic growth by 3.3 percent in 2023 and 5.4 percent in 2033.
The legislation has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Thompson represents California’s 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.