{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s744-113/featured_border-security-economic-opportunity-and-immigration-modernization-act-1469241046.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s744-113/featured_large_border-security-economic-opportunity-and-immigration-modernization-act-1469241046.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s744-113.png"},"introduced_on":"2013-04-16","title_override":"The \"Gang of Eight\" Immigration Reform Bill","summary_override":"

This bill offers a plan for comprehensive immigration reform integrated with border security. It would offer legal resident status to 9.6 million undocumented people residing in the U.S. (the bill is based on estimates from mid 2013).

The Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) would be prohibited from processing applications for registered provisional immigrant status (RPI), as established by this bill. S. 744 authorizes the DHS Secretary, after handling the necessary security and law enforcement clearances, to offer RPI status to a person unlawfully in the U.S. who:

Meets specified eligibility requirements.
Applies before the end of the application period.
Has paid the required fee and penalty if applicable.
Has been physically present in the U.S. since December 31, 2011 and maintains such presence until RPI status is granted.

Establishes a processing fee for persons 16 years or older. Sets forth bars to eligibility based upon criminal convictions, terrorist activity, and grounds for excludability.

Provides derivative RPI status to the spouse or child of a person with RPI status if the spouse or child is physically present in the U.S. on the date that they are granted such status and meet specified eligibility requirements. Authorizes a person with RPI status to be issued a Social Security number, and enlist in the Armed Forces.

Allows the Secretary to adjust an RPI status to \"lawfully admitted for permanent residence\" if a person meets specified eligibility requirements, including:

Continuous physical presence.
Evidence of employment or full-time education.
English language skills.
Payment of taxes.
Security and law enforcement clearances.

The Secretary would be directed to implement:

A comprehensive strategy for achieving and maintaining effective control between ports of entry in all sectors along the Southern border.
Details of this strategy should include minimum requirements for deployment of surveillance technologies in the Yuma and Tucson, Arizona sectors; San Diego and El Centro, California; El Paso, Big Bend, Del Rio, and Laredo, Texas; and the Rio Grande Valley, including air and marine surveillance.
A Southern Border Fencing Strategy to identify where 700 miles of fencing and technology should be deployed along the Southern border.

A Comprehensive Immigration Reform Trust Fund would be established in the U.S. Treasury, and initial funding plus additional fees collected from the implementation of this Act would be provided.

","official_title":"A bill to provide for comprehensive immigration reform and for other purposes.","short_title":"Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act - (Sec. 2) States that passage of this Act recognizes that the primary tenets of its success depend on securing U.S. sovereignty and establishing a coherent and just system for integrating those who seek to join American society.\n\n(Sec. 3) Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) (Secretary) from processing applications for registered provisional immigrant status (RPI), as established by this Act, until the Secretary has submitted to Congress the notice of commencement of implementation of the Comprehensive Southern Border Security Strategy and the Southern Border Fencing Strategy.\n\n Prohibits the Secretary from adjusting RPI aliens to lawful permanent resident status, with certain exceptions, until six months after the Secretary certifies to the President and Congress that: (1) the Comprehensive Southern Border Security Strategy submitted to Congress includes the minimum technological requirements specif...","summarized":true,"cost":23000000000,"cost_commentary":" The CBO estimates that this legislation would reduce budget deficits by $158 billion over the 2014-2023 period, increase spending by $23 billion over that period, leading to a net decrease in spending of about $135 billion for that period. However, this net impact would be greatly depend on future actions by lawmakers, particularly whether they appropriate more or less than anticipated. Because this spending would be discretionary, and discretionary spending is capped through 2021, increased appropriations for this legislation could lead to less funding for other areas.","impact":"Undocumented immigrants, non-citizens currently working in the U.S. legally, those outside the U.S. looking to immigrate, DHS, Congress. ","argument_for":"Immigration reform needs to be passed right now, and the most effective way to do that is including all these different provisions of our broken immigration system in one bill. ","argument_against":"A bill this bloated is likely riddled with provisions that will have to be un-done at a later date. Approaching immigration reform one facet at a time will not only be more understandable, but it will gain more support. 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No path to citizenship....a semi perminent green card may be ok. must track who is here and remove those who violate us law.","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":1,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":1,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":1,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/fd9099a6-79ba-469c-9fd8-a0af34fbf904"},"body":"Immigration reform is required but this bill is not it. No path to citizenship....a semi perminent green card may be ok. must track who is here and remove those who violate us law.","stance":"nay","created_at":"2015-06-02T23:47:52.016Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/fd9099a6-79ba-469c-9fd8-a0af34fbf904.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"s744-113","user_id":"Ampq6E9E","endorser_ids":["5mbwdqg9"]}}

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The "Gang of Eight" Immigration Reform Bill