27 GOP leaders call for immigration reform

SALT LAKE CITY – Tuesday, 27 Utah GOP elected and former elected leaders sent a letter to Utah’s congressional house delegation encouraging them to act on immigration reform this year.

Below is the letter in its entirety:

June 24, 2014

Representative Rob Bishop
Representative Chris Stewart
Representative Jason Chaffetz
Representative James D. Matheson

Dear Congressmen Bishop, Stewart, Chaffetz and Matheson:

As current and former Republican elected officials, we are writing to urge you to pass immigration reform this year. The current system is broken, and the United States cannot afford to wait any longer to fix it.

The system is broken for the business owners who are unable to grow their businesses due to workforce shortages. These shortages affect both high-skill and low-skill industries alike. When these industries are stifled, so is job creation for all Americans.

The system is broken for farmers who are producing below their capacity when they cannot meet their labor demands. According to the Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE), labor shortages in the agriculture industry are causing a loss of over
$3 billion in GDP and over $1 billion in farm income.

Not only can we no longer economically afford to wait, but there is also broad support, including Republican voters, for fixing the broken U.S. Immigration System. Recently, the Tea Party Express, Americans for Tax Reform and PNAE released a poll showing
that 71% of “Tea Party” aligned Republican primary voters believe it is important to pass reform this year.

We personally understand how difficult it can be to pass complicated legislation, but it is necessary. On behalf of those farmers, ranchers, businesses and individuals in our state supporting reform, we ask that you work with your colleagues to finalize legislation that can be passed into law this year.

Sincerely,

Senate President Wayne Niederhauser
Senator Curt Bramble
Senator Stuart Reid
Senator Peter Knudson
Senator Scott Jenkins
Senator Stuart Adams
Senator Aaron Osmond
Senator Todd Weiler
Speaker of the House Becky Lockhart
Representative Brad Dee
Representative Kraig Powell
Representative Steve Handy
Representative Jon Cox
Representative Eric Hutchings
Representative Brad Wilson
Representative Lee Perry
Representative Robert Spendlove
Representative Ronda Menlove
Representative Daniel McCay
Representative Kay J. Christofferson
Representative Gage Froerer
Representative Jim Bird
Representative Johnny Anderson
Representative Becky Edwards
Representative John Knotwell
Representative Jack Draxler
Former U.S. Senator Jake Garn

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2 Comments

  • Bender June 24, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    The Tea Party’s gonna rain hard on this parade.

  • Maggie June 25, 2014 at 1:23 am

    To those of you who signed and sent this letter to our elected representatives in DC.
    Have you offered any of these jobs to returning vets or our teenagers or young people graduating from college who are unable to find jobs. Have you offered these jobs to those on unemployment or welfare programs? Have you offered these jobs to those who are here legally with appropriate paperwork . Are the people who want to hire other than American citizens willing to pay for the education and medical care for their workers and families or do they expect other working people to absorb these costs?
    What changes are you asking to be made to our immigration laws? I am told that we have no less than 12 million illegals here now, no one seems to have a real head count or break down how many or who they are, how many more do you need and will you pay them the same as American workers?
    I am hoping for a reply because when I ask these questions of my elected in DC , they cannot answer them and many of us want to know. It is not their pockets the tax dollars come from to pay the unpaid costs for the working poor, it is from the working members of this society .

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