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US Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Bill Foster Address Chamber's Employment Law Forum on Immigration Reform

May 25, 2013

On Friday, May 24, US Senator Dick Durbin and US Congressman Bill Foster joined with Cholly Smith of the US Chamber of Commerce and Mark Segal, the Chicagoland Chamber's Public Policy Committee Chairman, on a panel hosted by the Chamber's Employment Law Forum for a discussion on the need to pass federal comprehensive immigration reform.

The US Senate's Judiciary Committee recently approved a comprehensive immigration reform proposal supported by the bi-partisan Senate "Gang of 8" including Senator Durbin which represents a step forward to improve the country's immigration system and remove barriers to businesses needing to hire both high- and low-skilled immigrant workers.

Senator Durbin mentioned that the bill, S. 744, addresses the needs of the businesses to hire qualified workers as well as address security concerns along the US borders. The Senator also stated that immigrants are vital to the economic success of America's Midwestern cities being the highest driver of population increases in the region.

Congressman Bill Foster said that immigration reform is important to provide certainty for businesses that want to play by the rules but do not have a playbook on how to navigate the immigration system.

The Chicagoland Chamber is supportive of the efforts in Washington to pass comprehensive immigration reform. The Chamber's Public Policy Chairman, Mark Segal, told participants that immigration reform is key to the success of Chicago's economic future.

Cholly Smith, Great Lakes Manager for the US Chamber of Commerce indicated that S. 744 includes important changes and improvements in the E-Verify system to protect employers by ensuring the legal status of workers, and represents the first comprehensive immigration bill to include both business and labor support

The Chicagoland Chamber encourages businesses to engage in the efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform by joining the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition at www.illinoisbic.biz.

Issues:Immigration