Brownback: Find middle ground on illegal immigration

Sam Brownback links(San Francisco Chronicle) Immigrant dilemma divides senators: Pressure from all sides to do something — the question being what — to fix the nation’s immigration system pushed the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday to open a laborious, monthlong effort to come up with some remedy for the tide of illegal migrants. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., noted that former President Ronald Reagan supported the 1986 amnesty to deal with the 3 million undocumented in the country at that time. The numbers had grown to 7 million when former President Bill Clinton signed the 1996 border crackdown approach. Now the estimate has reached 11 million. “Amnesty doesn’t quite work,” Brownback said. “You do an enforcement-only bill and that doesn’t quite work. Each time the numbers build. The lesson out of this is we need to do both.”(Reuters) Senator wants to narrow indecency bill: Proposed legislation to boost fines broadcasters face for indecency violations is “too broad and too big” and needs to be narrowed for quick passage, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas said Thursday. Brownback, a Republican, said that the legislation should get an extra push from a new study released Thursday by a parents’ group which said children’s programming contains sexual content as well as numerous violent scenes.(LJWorld.com) Senator says article doesn’t interest him: U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback said he hasn’t read the recent article about himself in Rolling Stone magazine. “I have not read it,” Brownback said Wednesday. “I don’t plan on reading it. I did think we would get a fair story out of it. I participated with the writer. I don’t know what was on my mind.” Brownback said several people have told him the story was inaccurate and that they didn’t think it was “a very quality piece.”Agape Press commentary & news briefs: A Republican senator feels it’s time to take Iran’s threats seriously — and to be prepared to act. Iran’s president has recently threatened Israel and the West, in addition to vowing to push ahead with a nuclear program. Experts in the field have labeled Iran “the thousand-pound gorilla of terrorism” and say it should not be ignored. Kansas Senator Sam Brownback agress. “They’re the lead sponsor of terrorism around the world,” he says of Iran. “I think you have to take their new president at his word that he intends to do whatever he can to eliminate Israel.” Brownback says America must be prepared to spend whatever it takes to prevent the development of Iran’s nuclear program, and needs to pressure Russia and China to quit assisting Iran’s actions.(The Truth) More employees wanting to practice their beliefs in the workplace: Rep. Mark Souder, R-Fort Wayne, is sponsoring an amendment to the 1964 act titled The Workplace Religious Freedom Act. The bill would give greater protections to employees if it passes. For example, it would be easier for Christians to get Good Friday off, and Jews could leave early to observe the Sabbath. Souder’s bill is receiving strong bipartisan support, including endorsements from Senators Rick Santorum, R-Penn., Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan. A broad religious coalition also supports the bill, including National Association of Evangelicals, American Jewish Committee, National Council of Churches and Christian Legal Society.Pat Roberts links(LA Times) House Panel to Seek More Oversight of Spy Program: The House Intelligence Committee announced plans Thursday to expand its scrutiny of a Bush administration spying program that has intercepted international e-mails and phone calls of U.S. residents in recent years without court warrants. Senate Republicans recently began negotiating with the White House on legislation to specifically state whether the program is subject to or exempt from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Several senior Senate aides said Thursday that Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) was leaning toward creating a subcommittee to oversee the program, similar to the proposed House Intelligence Committee arrangement. Senate Democrats have objected, saying the full committee should have access to details on domestic spying operations.Jerry Moran links(The Japan Times) Kansas lawmaker gets impatient with beef ban: U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran summoned the Japanese ambassador to the United States to his office Wednesday and urged Japan to lift its import ban on U.S. beef as soon as possible. Ryozo Kato told reporters after the meeting he refused to give any timeline, saying Japan needed more time and was not intentionally delaying its response to the 470-page U.S. report on an investigation into the January veal shipment that violated the bilateral accord and triggered the reinstatement of the ban. Moran, a Republican from Kansas, a major beef exporting state, is a hardliner on the beef issue. He sponsored a resolution last year to impose economic sanctions on Japan over the original two-year-old import ban on U.S. beef.Todd Tiahrt links(AP) Another Democrat plans to challenge Tiahrt: A retired engineer and businessman says he will again seek the Democratic nomination for Republican Todd Tiahrt’s 4th Congressional District seat. Patrick Quaney, who is a cousin of former Gov. Joan Finney, lost to Carlos Nolla in the 2002 primary race. She walked away with 75 percent of the primary vote, but fell to Tiahrt in the general election.How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation here.