Looks like Senator Dick Durbin (D. IL) and Senators from the Gang of 8 have reached a due date to present a comprehensive immigration reform bill:
http://thehill.com/...
Sources familiar with closed-door talks between the four Democratic and four Republican senators said members hope to unveil a bill when the Senate returns from a two-week recess in early April.
“We’re still planning to finish this by the end of March,” said a source close to the negotiations. “The end of the month falls squarely in the middle of a recess. We wouldn’t announce anything in the middle of the recess, but wait until people get back at the beginning of April.”
“I don’t think there’s anything fatal that’s emerged. People are in very much a posture of negotiating in good faith,” said another source close to the Gang of Eight.
Sources close to the talks say Republicans are eager to reach a deal, noting that a post-election report Monday by the Republican National Committee endorsed comprehensive immigration reform and called for outreach to minority groups. - The Hill, 3/19/13
The Hill explains that there has been an ongoing battle between the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO in drafting the language of the immigration reform act. Though both groups support the bill's principals, battles between the two have caused the delay between Durbin and his 8 colleagues, Senators Charles Schumer (D, NY), John McCain (R. AZ), Robert Menendez (D. NJ), Michael Bennet (D. CO), Marco Rubio (R. FL), Lindsey Graham (R. SC) and Jeff Flake (R. AZ). Durbin also stated a few days ago is the ongoing argument over border control and pathway to citizenship have caused the Senators to keep pushing back the bill's due date:
http://thehill.com/...
“We’re dealing with border enforcement, which is very important on the Republicans’ side of the table. We're dealing with the question of the 11 million people paying their taxes having a path to legalization, then ultimately to citizenship - tough issues, but we're coming together and I think we can do it, I have a positive feeling,” Durbin said.
Durbin, one of eight bipartisan Senators hashing out possible solutions to the difficult matter, says that he’s been working “literally hours every week … and we’re making progress.”
“But I feel good about it, there's a feeling in that room that we have a responsibility to this nation after 25 years to write an immigration law that we can live with for generations to come,” Durbin told Fox host Chris Wallace.
The “Gang of Eight” senators have unveiled a blueprint for immigration reform that would allow those who are here illegally to gradually apply for legal status, if they don’t have a criminal record and pay fines and back taxes. Their proposal would also strengthen border security requirements and create programs for high-skilled immigration and a guest worker visa program.
But since announcing their framework in January, the senators are still negotiating the details. - The Hill, 3/17/13
Another component that could play an influence in the immigration reform bill is Senator Chuck Grassley's (R. IA) H-1B reform bill:
http://www.computerworld.com/...
It came during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on comprehensive immigration reform and women. Testifying on the high-skills aspects of this issue, Karen Panetta, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University, said that more than eight-out-of-10 of the visas used by offshore outsourcing firms are held by males. "That's outrageous," she said. Offshore firms use about half of the H-1B visas.
Panetta, who also served as director of the IEEE's Women in Engineering Committee, was especially critical of the H-1B visa overall, and said it was being used to replace American workers with lower wage workers.
The senators involved in this issue, led by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), are expected to produce a comprehensive bill, possibly next month.
Grassley's bill is intended to influence the broader immigration effort, and what it seeks is very similar to bills he has co-sponsored in the past with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act would reform the H-1B visa in a number of ways, including raising wages, limiting H-1B visas to 50% of a firm's workforce, and requiring H-1B employers to "make a good faith effort to hire Americans first."
The bill would also double potential administrative fines for violations and requires employers to file W-2 tax forms of H-1B workers with the U.S. Dept. of Labor.
Durbin wasn't part of this announcement, although that may be due to the fact that he is a member of the core group working with Schumer on a comprehensive bill. - Computer World, 3/19/13
Latino based media is optimistic that the gang can come up with a comprehensive bill by April and noted Senator Durbin's efforts in including the DREAM Act in the final version of the bill:
http://www.latinospost.com/...
The senators have already acknowledged that their bill may have to wait until mid April, after a Senate recess, if they cannot come to an agreement before the end of March.
Still, the negotiations are said to be moving smoothly and quickly. The senators have already agreed on offering a path to citizenship, provided additional measures are taken to ensure border security, that would speed applications for citizenship already in progress and allow undocumented immigrants to get in line at the end of the queue, a process that could still take several years.
But most proponents admit it is a better option for the undocumented than deportation or continuing to live in the shadows of society.
Each senator brings their own expertise and pet issues to the table. While Republican John McCain of Arizona and Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York lead the effort, Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey has insisted on measures to help reunite families kept apart by draconian immigration requirements.
Democrat Richard Durbin of Illinois has focused on the DREAM Act, which favors legalization for immigrants brought to the country as children.
And Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is working with business groups who want to ensure an unrestricted flow of skilled labor into the country.
At issue now is how strongly businesses must police their hiring practices, and what kind of penalties businesses will face for hiring undocumented immigrants. Business leaders balk at being entirely responsible for determining an applicant's immigration status. - Latino Post, 3/9/13
Emphasis mine.
I look forward to seeing what they come with next month.