House Group Works to Present Its Own Immigration Plan.
'The group met, on and off, in almost complete secrecy for nearly four years. It lost members to political disagreements, and to re-election battles. After the November elections, it regrouped and redoubled its efforts.
Soon, the bipartisan group of about eight House members hopes to unveil its own immigration legislation . . .
In addition to Mr. Gutierrez, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s immigration task force, those involved in the discussions, aides said, include Representatives Xavier Becerra and Zoe Lofgren, both California Democrats; John Yarmuth, Democrat of Kentucky; Representatives John Carter and Sam Johnson, both Texas Republicans; Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida; and Raúl R. Labrador, Republican of Idaho. . .
The group is in many ways a cross-section of the House. On one extreme is Mr. Labrador, a second-term member with Tea Party support; on the other is Mr. Gutierrez, an outspoken proponent of immigration reform who has been critical of Mr. Obama, saying he was moving too slowly. (One Republican aide joked that Mr. Gutierrez was “kind of the Raúl Labrador of the left.”)'
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/us/politics/a-secret-bipartisan-group-with-its-own-immigration-plan.html?hp
