Menendez: Those Who Favor Immigration Legislation Must Be Heard in August

July 19, 2013

With the fate of immigration reform in the House of Representatives unclear, the upcoming August recess represents an important opportunity for constituents’ voices to be heard. Senator Robert Menendez  (D-NJ) tells the Washington Post that, “August is a month in which either legislative proposals die, or they survive,” and that those who favor immigration legislation must be heard in August. “And if we do that, we’ll be well positioned for the fall in the House. If we don’t, then we run a risk.”

While immigration legislation almost certainly has majority support in the House of Representatives (nearly every Democrat plus a significant minority of Republicans), Speaker John Boehner has indicated that he will invoke the Hastert Rule, meaning that he will only allow a bill to come to the floor if it has majority support among his Republican colleagues. As a result, it is particularly important that Republican legislators hear from their constituents on this issue in the coming weeks. The League of Women Voters has a great tool to help you find and contact your representative, or you can use the House of Representative’s website.

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TAGS: Hastert Rule, John Boehner