Senate group hopes bipartisan support will help immigration bill
Source: Washington Post
The bipartisan Senate group behind a comprehensive immigration bill is working privately to satisfy concerns raised by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (Utah), hoping he will support the legislation and influence fellow GOP lawmakers.
The bid to bring Hatch into the fold highlights the strategy of Senate immigration proponents who believe that building as much bipartisan support for the bill is crucial to improving its chances in the Republican-led House.
Negotiators in the House said late Thursday that they reached a tentative agreement on immigration reform but no details were disclosed.
If the immigration bill were to pass the Senate with more than the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster, proponents say, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) would be motivated to allow a vote on the legislation even if a majority of his caucus opposed it.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senate-group-hopes-bipartisan-support-will-help-immigration-bill/2013/05/16/806909f0-be38-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_story.html