Bronx33
10-22-2009, 12:40 PM
http://www.fairus.org/site/News2/1929724780?page=NewsArticle&id=21688&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1012#4
Amendment to Require Citizenship and Immigration Questions as Part of Census on Hold in Senate
When the Senate began debate on the annual 2010 funding for the departments of Commerce, Justice and certain science programs on October 7, 2009, Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Robert Bennett (R-Utah) filed an amendment to the “CJS” bill that would have required the Census Bureau, which is part of the Department of Commerce, to include on the census forms questions related to citizenship and immigration status. (See H.R. 2847 and S. Amdt. 2644).
The Vitter-Bennett amendment said: “none of the funds provided in this Act… may be used for collection of census data that does not include questions regarding United States citizenship and immigration status.” (S. Amdt. 2644). During debate on his amendment, Senate Vitter stated that: “the way the census is designed, the House would be reapportioned counting illegal aliens. States that have large populations of illegals would be rewarded for that. Other States, including my home State of Louisiana, would be penalized.” Senator Bennett stated that in "Reynolds v. [Sims]… the Supreme Court gave us the one man, one vote rule, which said that the districts should be close enough in population that, in effect, every voter had the same weight of representation in the House of Representatives." (Congressional Record, October 7, 2009, p. S10193). Bennett also pointed out that counting illegal aliens in the Senate would “chang[e] the one man, one vote [principle] of the Supreme Court [so that] a State with a large number of illegal immigrants will see to it that its voters have greater representation than voters where the illegal immigrants are not.” In other words, as currently structured, the Census will include illegal aliens as will the Congressional reapportionment that follows. As a result, certain states will have more representation in Congress than they should, which will dilute the value of citizen’s votes in states which have less representation than they should.
On October 13, 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture on the “CJS” appropriations bill in an attempt to block a vote on the Vitter-Bennett amendment. This parliamentary maneuver, however, failed as the motion to invoke cloture received only 56 of the necessary 60 votes to pass. (To see how your Senators voted on the motion,see Roll Call Vote 320 (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00320). Unable to use cloture to block the Vitter amendment, Senator Reid stopped consideration of the CJS bill and instead moved to other legislation. This prompted Senator Vitter to comment that Senator Reid was “going through somersaults right now to prevent there being a direct vote on this amendment because it would be very difficult for [some Democratic Senators] to vote against it.” (The Hill, October 15, 2009).
Amendment to Require Citizenship and Immigration Questions as Part of Census on Hold in Senate
When the Senate began debate on the annual 2010 funding for the departments of Commerce, Justice and certain science programs on October 7, 2009, Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Robert Bennett (R-Utah) filed an amendment to the “CJS” bill that would have required the Census Bureau, which is part of the Department of Commerce, to include on the census forms questions related to citizenship and immigration status. (See H.R. 2847 and S. Amdt. 2644).
The Vitter-Bennett amendment said: “none of the funds provided in this Act… may be used for collection of census data that does not include questions regarding United States citizenship and immigration status.” (S. Amdt. 2644). During debate on his amendment, Senate Vitter stated that: “the way the census is designed, the House would be reapportioned counting illegal aliens. States that have large populations of illegals would be rewarded for that. Other States, including my home State of Louisiana, would be penalized.” Senator Bennett stated that in "Reynolds v. [Sims]… the Supreme Court gave us the one man, one vote rule, which said that the districts should be close enough in population that, in effect, every voter had the same weight of representation in the House of Representatives." (Congressional Record, October 7, 2009, p. S10193). Bennett also pointed out that counting illegal aliens in the Senate would “chang[e] the one man, one vote [principle] of the Supreme Court [so that] a State with a large number of illegal immigrants will see to it that its voters have greater representation than voters where the illegal immigrants are not.” In other words, as currently structured, the Census will include illegal aliens as will the Congressional reapportionment that follows. As a result, certain states will have more representation in Congress than they should, which will dilute the value of citizen’s votes in states which have less representation than they should.
On October 13, 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture on the “CJS” appropriations bill in an attempt to block a vote on the Vitter-Bennett amendment. This parliamentary maneuver, however, failed as the motion to invoke cloture received only 56 of the necessary 60 votes to pass. (To see how your Senators voted on the motion,see Roll Call Vote 320 (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00320). Unable to use cloture to block the Vitter amendment, Senator Reid stopped consideration of the CJS bill and instead moved to other legislation. This prompted Senator Vitter to comment that Senator Reid was “going through somersaults right now to prevent there being a direct vote on this amendment because it would be very difficult for [some Democratic Senators] to vote against it.” (The Hill, October 15, 2009).