From: ZHAO%HUXTAL.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu
Subject:      IFCSS: TROUBLE WITH IMMIGRATION BILL
Reply-To: ZHAO%HUXTAL.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu
Organization: Indiana University
Date:         Thu, 23 Jul 1992 00:28:00 EDT

Distribution-File:
        council@math19.gatech.edu
        cnd-us@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu
        svc@hal.cwru.EDU
        IFCSS@HAL.CWRU.EDU
        CHINA-NT@UGA.BITNET
        soc-culture-china@ucbvax.berkeley.edu,
        osu.chinese@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu
        soc-rights-human@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
        human-bd@virginia.edu
        china-news-post@mentor.cc.purdue.edu




*****************************************************************


        PROGRESS/PRROBLEM WITH THE IMMIGRATION BILL


*****************************************************************


        To:    Chinese Students and Scholars Nationwide


        From:  Haiching Zhao, President of IFCSS


        Date:  July 22,  1992




We had a hectic day at the Capitol Hill today.  We organized
a coalition meeting with other 25 organizations to set up the
strategy for the collective MFN-lobby effort in the Senate for the
next couple of weeks.  The key to the MFN lobby is in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who is also the major
author of the bill in the Senate, is strongly committed to the
passage of the bill.  The bill does have strong bipartisan support
in the Senate, as was demonstrated in the House by yesterday's vote
in the House.  Hopefully the Senate will take up the issue before
the summer recess.

The House Judiciary Committee took up our immigration bill at 10:00
in the morning.  One amendment proposed by the Justice Department
(INS) was attached to the bill.  It is a technical amendment
changing the period for application from six month to a year and
making sure that people who have lapsed their status during certain
periods are eligible to apply for adjusting their status.  On the
technical merits, it is a good amendment and these are the issues
we raised in the past.  However, since we are trying to keep our
bill out of the conference, the fewer differences between the
Senate and the House versions, the better.  And this amendment
means that the bill can not go to the President directly, rather
it has to be sent back to the Senate again for a vote.

The real problem on the Chinese Protection bill is the attempt made
by Michigan Congressman John Conyers Jr.  He attempted to attach
an amendment on protecting Haitians in this country.  Congressman
Bill McCollum of Florida challenged the amendment by questioning
its germaneness to our bill.  There was a heavy debate on this
issue and we all know that by attaching this provision the bill
would be certainly vetoed by the President.  Chairman of the
Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jack Brooks of Texas ruled that
the amendment was NOT german.  So we are safe for now.  However,
we are almost certain this will surface again when the bill reaches
the House floor and in the Senate.

Haitian refugee issue is a very tough one.  We are sympathetic to
the Haitians, on one hand; on the other hand, this is a highly
political issue because the President decided to turn the Haitians
away.  This issue involves the Presidential politics.  If the
amendment is successfully attached to our bill, which we hope not,
that would be the end of the bill.  Another difficulty is that the
issue is a very popular one.  If it reaches the floor for a vote,
many members will have a very hard time to vote NO to the
amendment.

The only way to stop the amendment being attached to our bill on
the House floor is for the Rules Committee to issue a rule for the
bill not to allow any additional free amendment on the floor.

Our emergent task is to let the Rule Committee members know what
we want by calling their offices and asking for CLOSED RULE ON
S1216. Our argument should be very simple: THIS AMENDMENT CAN ONLY
CAUSE A PRESIDENTIAL VETO.  Therefore, it will not help the
Haitians and it will hurt the Chinese students.

At the end of the this posting please find the names and phone
numbers of the House Judiciary Committee members.

This problem is serious and urgent.  We also have knowledge that
the Chinese Government is at least partially behind this effort  -
- this would be an effective way to kill the bill.

Another serious fact is that we do not have a lot of time and this
is our last chance.  There are only three weeks left for this
session of the Congress and ALTOGETHER we have no more than 40
legislative days left for this calendar year.  If there is any
problem that will just delay the bill so that it can not become law
by the end of the year, all the effort we put over the last year
and half would be GONE WITH THE WIND.  We then would have to start
our efforts all over again starting from reintroducing the bill
when next year comes.  That simply will not give us enough time to
protect anybody.

We have done so much and we have gone so far pushing this bill.
We simply can not afford any problems or delays at this critical
stage.

We urgently call on your immediate action.

As the problems are mounting, we expect that students from certain
states to visit the Capitol Hill will be inevitable in the weeks
to come.  This is the critical time when we, each and every one of
us, must concentrate all our energy and resources to give this bill
a final push.

You can help -- yourself as well as others -- by calling members
of the Congress voicing our concern; you can help by making
donations to our coordinated effort; and you can help by joining
us in Washington DC to lobby the Congress.

We strongly appeal to you for your donations to facilitate such
efforts.  Pursuant to Resolution Number 4 of the Fourth Congress
of the IFCSS, an account and a mailbox have been established in
Washington D.C. for the lobbying activities.

Please make your contribution payable to: CCSA/Immigration Fund and
send to:

     CCSA
     P.O. Box 65307
     Washington D.C. 20035-5307

We will organize our DC lobbying activity soon and stay tuned for
further information.

The following are names and phone numbers (area code: 202) of House
Rules Committee Members:

Joe Moakley        Ma, Chair                    225-8273
Butler Derrick     SC                           225-5301
Anthony Beilenson  Ca                           225-5911
Martin Frost       Tx                           225-3605
David Bonior       Mi                           225-2106
Tony Hall          Oh                           225-6465
Alan Wheat         Mo                           225-4535
Bart Gordon        Tn                           225-4231
Louise Sloughter   NY                           225-3615
Gerald Solomon     NY, Ranking Minority Member  225-5614
James Quillen      Tn                           225-6356
David Dreier       Ca                           225-2305
Bob McEwen         Oh                           225-5705

\end
Newsgroups: talk.politics.china