Sen. Kennedy (D-MA),Robert Menendez (D-NJ),Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)

May 4: –– Some Congressional Democrats led by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), House Democratic Caucus Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) of the Democratic Caucus Immigration Task Force, are to release a plan to overhaul the immigration overhaul plan. This joins another bipartisan proposal put forward by Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Sen. Chuck Hagel, (R-NE). Sen. Kennedy is reported to have said his proposal is “more inclusive” than the other and that there was room for more than one bill. Both bills will probably be endorsed by immigration activists. The Kennedy-led bill is said to include provisions to do with family reunification, the temporary worker program, and more efficient processing of immigration applications, as well as incorporate some rights for illegal immigrants including the possibility of earning legalization more easily than in the Daschle bill, such as two instead of three years of work in the U.S., and extension of the H-2B visa.

May 4: –– The Senate is to vote to expand a measure that helps workers laid off due to foreign trade. Introduced by Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) the measure if passed, gets into the Trade Adjustment Assistance bill, and makes it easier for workers who lose their jobs to India and China to qualify for financial aid, retraining and health insurance tax credit.