Democrats May Write Own Immigration Bill « Thread Started on May 4, 2007, 6:31am » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Democrats May Write Own Immigration Bill By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS read at source> http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/s ... Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democratic leaders, increasingly unhappy with an immigration overhaul taking shape in bipartisan talks with the White House, are considering moving their own, more permissive bill. The move would essentially pull the rug out from under a delicate round of talks between Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., top Bush administration officials and senior Republicans, who have been negotiating for weeks to strike a deal on the contentious and politically sensitive issue. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who has set May 14 as a target date for the immigration debate, said Thursday he plans to bring up a measure drafted last year - backed by most Democrats but only a few Republicans - if the talks don't yield a bipartisan deal. The move would set the stage for a heated and unpredictable partisan fight over immigration. ``He's willing to give the negotiations more time, but one way or the other, he wants to get a bill to the floor by the 14th,'' said Jim Manley, Reid's spokesman. Senior Democrats are worried that the talks are producing a much tougher bill than the majority of their party can support, according to top officials. ``There are serious concerns about the workability and the fairness of the White House plan,'' said one top Democratic official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks are private. ``So far, the White House's efforts to help have only succeeded in making it more difficult to get a bill.''