Strange Bedfellows in Texas

This press release is from www.quorumreport.com, a site devoted to Texas politics:

In a rare convergence on policy, Bill Hammond of the Texas Association of Business joined with representatives of the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus (MALC) of the Texas House of Representatives today to call on Congress to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform. Hammond initiated discussions with MALC after Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) successfully added a provision to the new margins tax prohibiting employers from including undocumented or illegal workers in their payroll calculations when figuring their tax liability. The margins tax is based on a percentage of gross revenues minus either payroll or cost of goods sold. While TAB and MALC outlined fifteen core principles of agreement, three core themes emerged: secure borders, a legal avenue for foreign nationals to enter the country to work and an easy and reliable verification system for employers. MALC Chair Pete Gallego (D-Alpine) criticized recent Congressional hearings as “choreographed to stir up passions. We expect more out of our leaders,” he said. He pointed out that business currently needs over 500,000 low-skill workers but federal law permits a total of only 5,000 legal visas.

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President Bush is on the same wave length,

KJ