The energy in Washington changes as soon as Congress returns from recess, and this year the air is particularly charged with anticipation of the health care reform debate to come. In the immigration world, we are watching the debate as a barometer of what to expect later in the session when the long-promised Schumer bill is introduced.

The lead Democrat steering an immigration overhaul through the Senate said Wednesday he expects to have a bill ready by Labor Day that is more generous to highly skilled immigrant workers than those who are lower skilled and is tough on future waves of illegal immigration.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Sen. Chuck Schumer said an immigration bill can be done by the end of the year or early next year that works out disagreements between labor and business interests on the flow of legal foreign workers.

“I think we’ll have a good bill by Labor Day,” said Schumer, D-N.Y. “I think the fundamental building blocks are in place to do comprehensive immigration reform.”

We link to the Immigration Impact article.

On February 12, Chairman Patrick Leahy and Ranking Member Arlen Specter announced membership lists for the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittees in the 111th Congress.

There will be six subcommittees: Administrative Oversight and the Courts; Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights; The Constitution; Crime and Drugs; Immigration, Refugees and Border Security; and Terrorism and Homeland Security…

Senator Schumer has been a big proponent of Comprehensive Immigration Reform and co-sponsored the Nurse Relief Act of 2008.

Learn how Schumer has voted on Immigration

For more information on the subcommittees being announced:
Read this article from OnTheIssues.org

Immigration, Refugees and Border Security

Democratic Members
Charles Schumer, New York (Chairman)
Patrick Leahy, Vermont
Dianne Feinstein, California
Richard Durbin, Illinois
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
Ron Wyden, Oregon

Republican Members
John Cornyn, Texas (Ranking Member)
Charles Grassley, Iowa
Jon Kyl, Arizona
Jeff Sessions, Alabama