Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced Tuesday that his committee will take up the issue of immigration reform on Feb. 13, the day after President Obama’s State of the Union address.
“President Obama should be commended for making Comprehensive Immigration Reform a top priority,” Leahy said in the statement released after Obama’s immigration speech in Las Vegas. “I am particularly pleased to see that the President’s proposal includes better access to visas for victims of domestic and sexual violence, improved laws for refugees and asylum seekers, an enhanced investor visa program, and the assurance that every family, including binational gay and lesbian spouses, receives equal treatment under the law.”
Leahy announced the Judiciary Committee will hold its first hearing on the issue in two weeks:
“I plan to hold a hearing on Comprehensive Immigration Reform the day after the President’s State of the Union address to the American people and the Congress, and to have the Senate Judiciary Committee consider Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation this spring.”
