The bill that I placed online here:
http://www.politechbot.com/docs/drivers.license.bill.012605.pdf
And that we've discussed over the last two weeks is now available on a
government site as HR418:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.00418:
The news is that the House of Representatives is about to hold a floor
vote on HR418 under a special "suspension" calendar that is supposed to
be reserved for noncontroversial legislation. See the Majority Whip's
notice saying the vote will be held Wednesday or Thursday:
http://majoritywhip.house.gov/whipnotice.asp
Also see a note below from the Bill of Rights Defense Committee on
HR418, and while we're at it, a note about a "broadcast decency" vote on
Wednesday afternoon.
-Declan
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: BORDC Action Alert: House to vote on REAL ID Act this week
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 15:09:57 -0500
From: Bill of Rights Defense Committee <newsletter@private>
To: <newsletter@private>
Dear Friends:
The House of Representatives is scheduled to take up Rep.
Sensenbrenner's REAL ID Act (H.R. 418) next WEDNESDAY, with a vote
likely THURSDAY, FEB. 10. Sending refugees who have fled torture, rape,
and other brutal human rights abusers back to their tormenters and
deporting long-term residents for charity contributions they made long
ago will not make Americans safer from terrorism. Yet sections of H.R.
418 would do just that. To avoid debate over the bill's controversial
provisions, the sponsor plans to attach his bill to a fast-approaching
"must pass" bill, such as the the Iraqi supplemental spending bill or
the relief bill for tsunami victims.
Summaries of a few troubling sections and a sample phone script follow.
Here are links for more information:
* Bill text, list of cosponsors, and status:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00418:@@@L&summ2=m&
* Contact information for your representative:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
* Good analysis of the bill by the American Immigration Lawyers
Association: http://www.aila.org/contentViewer.aspx?bc=10,911,5516,8191
* Human Rights First web page where you can send your
representative an instant message:
http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/REAL_ID_Act?source=ga_adv_realid
Summary: You may recognize parts of H.R. 418 as the most troubling
sections of H.R. 10, which the conference committee for the Intelligence
Reform bills rejected as too extreme, unrelated to intelligence or
anti-terrorism, and in conflict with the 9/11 Commission's
recommendations. Among the sections of most concern are:
* Section 101, which enables a judge to deny a refugee asylum if
she is unable to track down specific documents that corroborate her
claims--even if the U.S. State Department confirms that the country from
which the refugee has fled never provides the documents--and bars other
judges from reversing their determinations because the corroborating
evidence is not available.
* Sections 103 and 104 would permit long-term legal U.S. residents
to be deported for having given contributions years ago to organizations
that later fit the Bush administration's profile of a terrorist
organization, even if they are not on a list of named terrorist
organizations.
Sample Phone Script: Please contact your Representative by phone and
explain why you oppose some of the bill's provisions. For example,
"I urge you to oppose H.R. 418's provisions that will make it much
harder for legitimate refugees to gain asylum and place them at greater
risk of being deported back into the hands of their persecutors."
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Web: www.bordc.org
Email: info@private
Phone: 413-582-0110
Fax: 413-582-0116
------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Larry Neal or Jon Tripp
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2005
202-225-5735
Committee Schedules Markup
On Broadcast Decency Legislation
WASHINGTON – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton,
R-Texas, has scheduled a full committee markup for Wednesday, Feb. 9 at
12:30 p.m. (or five minutes following the conclusion of the
Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee hearing) in room 2123
of the Rayburn House Office Building, to consider the following:
1. H.R. 310, To increase the penalties for violations by television
and radio broadcasters of the prohibitions against transmission of
obscene, indecent, and profane material, and for other purposes, and;
2. Completion of organizational business.
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