House will Vote on New Immigration Laws 

Congress is making new rules for immigration.  Congressman James Sensenbrenner says the battle over immigration is probably the most difficult he has faced in 27 years.

Immigration is the movement of people to other countries. U.S. politicians have struggled for much of the history of the nation to set immigration rules.

One branch of the federal government is close to voting on immigration rules. The House of Representatives was expected to vote sometime in December.

Sensenbrenner is from Wisconsin. He is a member of the Republican Party. He also is chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House that is writing the rules.

Every member of the Democratic Party on  that committee voted against the bill. They said the bill called for punishment that was too strong.  They said the bill hurts millions of people illegally in the United States now.

The Senate will get the bill in 2006

The Senate is expected to review the bill sometime in 2006 if the House approves it.

Sensenbrenner said the Senate will have to decide next year what kind of bill it wants.

The bill would go to President George Bush after it is approved by both houses. The president can sign the bill into law or veto it. A veto means the bill has to go back to both houses of Congress for another vote.

The bill can become law without the president. Congress must vote to override the veto. That usually means two out of three members of Congress must vote for the override. Congress is both bodies of the federal government. The Senate is the most powerful of the two bodies. The House of Representatives is the other body.

Could not agree on illegal immigrants

Sensenbrenner said members of the House could not agree on how to give temporary legal status to people who are already in the country illegally. He said he decided not to deal with the issue.

Sensenbrenner also said he is not sure if there are enough votes in the House or Senate to pass a bill that deals with all of the immigration issues. He said immigration includes border security questions. It also affects the laws about hiring people for jobs.

If all of the issues are put in one bill, everyone in Congress will have a reason to vote against it, Sensenbrenner said. He said it is better to take each issue as a separate bill.

The bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee would increase penalties for hiring illegal residents. It also increases penalties for smuggling people into the country. It also increases punishment for people who come back illegally after being deported. People who are deported are forced to leave the country and not return.