On the recordJune 24, 2013
Madam President, I rise today to speak on the immigration bill presently before the Senate. First, I wish to congratulate the leaders who have been able to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor. The Gang of 8, of course, gets all the attention, but Senator Leahy, the majority leader, and so many others who have added both merit and momentum to this bill deserve to be praised as well. I particularly wish to congratulate Senator Leahy, the majority leader, and the authors of the bill for the transparent process with which we have debated this bill. I don't know the sum total of all the amendments that were considered by the Judiciary Committee, but it was a long markup with virtually every idea and every amendment vetted. We have been standing on the floor of the Senate for nearly 2 weeks debating this bill. That is right and that is good. This is one of the most important bills the Senate will talk about. This matters to millions of undocumented people all across this country, but it also matters to millions of other individuals, families, and businesses who have been weighed down by an immigration system that doesn't work any longer. Today we will be debating a new amendment on border security that will, for many of us, be overkill. In order to make sure the perfect doesn't become the enemy of the good, this will bring this very important debate near to a close. I rise to talk about one additional amendment I am offering that I hope the Senate will consider, amendment No.…
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