On the Successful Conclusion of the Legislature's Special Session: (July 11)
I'm pleased that the legislature, led by Senate President FitzGerald and House Speaker Romanoff, has passed a package of bills that are tough, fair, and effective. Colorado isn't DC, and the Colorado legislature has done what Congressman Bob Beauprez and DC are unwilling to do - actually pass measures that amount to substantive immigration reform.
And if it was important enough for the Colorado legislature to go into special session at a cost of $15,000 a day, it's important enough for Congress to solve the problem before the August recess. Congressman Bob Beauprez talks a lot about immigration. Now it's time for him to follow the lead of our Colorado legislature and propose responsible and achievable reforms. To date, he has not done that. We don't need field hearings in Colorado, we need action in Washington.
About Amnesty and the Bush Plan for Undocumented Workers: (July 12)
I oppose amnesty. And unlike Congressman Beauprez, I agree with President Bush. As the President himself put it, "Amnesty means you're automatically a citizen. I don't think that makes sense." The President and I also agree on another point - Bob Beauprez and his colleagues in DC need to act soon, not put the issue on hold.
What I do support is the President’s proposal to make those who have been here for a long time, who have worked for many years and paid taxes, go to the back of the line, behind those who have followed the rules. And the President has also said, "The right thing to do is to recognize that if you've been here illegally, that there ought to be a cost for doing so, but also recognize there are decent, hardworking people that have contributed to our society at the same time."
Bob Beauprez apparently can’t understand either what amnesty means, what the President means, or what I mean when I say I oppose it.