July 24th 2009 Edition
Capitol Connection
FAIR's GR Staff Educates Members of Congress, Public on "Secure" ID Bill
On Wednesday, July 15, members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs convened a hearing on a bill sponsored by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) entitled "Providing for Additional Security in States' Identification Act of 2009" (PASS ID). PASS ID would repeal many key provisions of the REAL ID Act - legislation that was passed by Congress in 2005 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in an effort to establish uniform security requirements for State-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. Since PASS ID would gut many of the important REAL ID provisions related to national security and immigration enforcement, the new legislation would re-establish many of the security and immigration loopholes that allowed the 9/11 highjackers to carry out the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.
Prior to the hearing, FAIR's Government Relations team posted three documents to our website aimed at educating Senators, Members of Congress, their staffs and the public on the negative effect PASS ID would have with respect to the issuance of secure identification. The first document was a Legislative Analysis including background information on America's need for secure identification and a section-by-section analysis of PASS ID. The second document was a "red-lined" Legislative Marked Copy that depicts what changes PASS ID would make to REAL ID, providing readers with a clear comparison to help understand the negative implications of PASS ID. The final document was a two-page Comparison Chart that analyzes eleven of the key security and immigration differences between REAL ID and PASS ID.
On Tuesday, the day before the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the PASS ID bill, FAIR's Director of Government Relations, Christopher Jaarda, participated in a meeting with several key Congressional staffers from various offices and key committees to educate staff about the troublesome provisions contained in the legislation. Staff received the Comparison Chart which highlighted the differences between the real security provided by REAL ID and the false sense of security that PASS ID would provide if it was to become law. FAIR GR staffer Zach Swartz attended the Wednesday Senate hearing and provided real-time updates on the hearing's proceedings to more than 575 of FAIR's Twitter followers (see Twitter Page). Following the hearing, FAIR's GR staff collaborated on a Legislative Update article that provided an in-depth analysis of the hearing's events to our members and activists.
With the Senate Homeland Security Committee set to consider amendments to PASS ID on Wednesday, July 29, FAIR's GR staff will continue to keep our members, elected officials and the public educated on the negative aspects of the PASS ID bill as the legislation progresses through the Senate.
We want to Hear From You
Thank you for responding to our feedback form. We have taken some of your comments and posted them below with our response.
Question: What other information would you like to see in FAIRenews.org?
Comment: "Our own Immigration Policy - what we members of FAIR would do if we had the power."
FAIR Answer: Please follow the attached link to download FAIR's Legislative Agenda for the 111th Congress.
Comment: "I want to know how the senators and representatives, by name, support and vote on these issues when they are put before them."
FAIR Answer: This was a common theme among the survey responders. Our Government Relations team often includes vote results on key legislation and key votes when writing FAIR’s weekly Legislative Updates. In addition, GR is currently work on a project that will show how Members of Congress have voted on key issues over the past decade. We expect that this project will be launched later this year.
FAIR in Your Community
This past weekend, field staff spent the day at the City of Painesville (OH) "Party in the Park" with the Ohio Grass Roots Rally Team. Painesville is listed as a "sanctuary city" in Ohio and the county commissioners passed a resolution that recognizes the matricula card as valid ID. Many citizens there are upset with the influx of illegal immigrants in their community and the resulting loss of employment opportunities. The group passed out information about illegal immigration and E-Verify.
Yesterday a member of the field team attended the Dream Act forum put on by Senator Lugar at the Nativity Catholic Church in Evansville, Indiana. At this town hall meeting Senator Lugar asked Indiana residents to support the Dream Act.
In June, FAIR field staff testified in front of the Oakland County (Pontiac, MI) Board of Commissioners regarding the enactment of local E-verify legislation. The resolution requires that all businesses and contractors doing business with Oakland Co. use E-Verify. On July 20 the resolution passed committee and will be up for a board vote at the end of July.
FAIR's field team is trying to start a local coalition in Louisiana. If you are interested in learning more, please email stully@fairus.org.
FAIR Event in Lewiston, ID: Immigration Reform Activist Meeting
When: August 13, 2009
For more information contact: Susan Tully, National Field Director (202)328-7004 stully@fairus.org
Kudos
Success in Nebraska! FAIR's legal affiliate (IRLI) successfully defeated the City Council of Fremont's attempt to thwart the will of its citizens. After the City Council refused to pass an ordinance addressing the employment of illegal aliens in Fremont, local citizens sought the help of IRLI to draft a ballot initiative addressing both the employment and the harboring of illegal aliens. The citizens easily gathered enough signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot and the City Council sued the petitioners in an attempt to block the vote. The Dodge County District Court ruled that the election must go forward and that the law does not violate Nebraska's Single Subject Rule. IRLI is prepared to continue defending this initiative in the Nebraska Appellate Courts.
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