A discharge petition from House
Democrats could force House
leadership to bring comprehensive
immigration reform up for a floor vote.
On March 26, House Democrats launched a discharge petition—a procedural move that requires the signature of 218 House members. If successful, it will force House leadership to bring comprehensive immigration reform up for a floor vote.
UFCW International President Joe Hansen released a statement on March 26 in support of the discharge petition:
“It has been 272 days since the Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform on a bipartisan basis. For nearly nine months, the House has failed to follow suit. This discharge petition is a way for those who support reform to force a vote on legislation to fix our broken immigration system, protect workers’ rights, reunite families, and give aspiring Americans a path to citizenship. House Republican leaders need to stop making excuses and House Democrats who say they are with us need to make this petition a priority. Our nation deserves comprehensive immigration reform—not tomorrow, not the next day, now. The vast majority of Americans support reform—Republicans, Democrats, business, labor, faith communities, law enforcement, and students, just to name a few. The only thing stopping comprehensive immigration reform from becoming the law of the land is a small group of extremist members of Congress and their enablers. It is time to end the gridlock and hold a vote. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration should immediately stop deporting those who will achieve legal status once reform is passed.”
The discharge petition can serve as a way for UFCW locals to rally support for comprehensive immigration reform and get your member of Congress on the record. To track who has signed the discharge petition, visit http://1.usa.gov/1dRf2N9.
A comprehensive toolkit on this effort is available at http://bit.ly/1gKXp6H. For postcards demanding a vote that can be printed and shipped at no cost to your local, visit http://bit.ly/1iWlRBr. 