Nevada bid for border panel to get U.S. Senate vote after all

WASHINGTON — A Nevada amendment to immigration reform hit a roadblock this week in the Senate but leaders say it probably will be considered at some point later during debate.

Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa on Thursday blocked the Senate from taking up an amendment by Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., that sought to add a Nevada representative to a proposed Southern Border Security Commission.

The panel would consist of 10 members who would recommend strategy if the Department of Homeland Security fails to meet goals to seal the border.

Grassley, who was managing the floor debate for Republicans, objected when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., included Heller’s amendment among a handful for early debate and votes.

He did not give a reason.

Grassley just was caught by surprise, his spokeswoman said late Thursday.

The objection was procedural, Beth Levine said. “It hadn’t been part of the discussion on the next set of amendments until that moment when Reid brought it up,” she said. “Senator Grassley agreed to work with Senator Heller to try and get it considered with another tranche of amendments.”

Grassley is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee that formed the far-reaching immigration bill the Senate is expected to debate into next month.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., another senior committee member, told Roll Call that Heller’s amendment, which is co-sponsored by Reid, will be considered.

“I didn’t realize Senator Heller was pushing to get his amendment in there, but he’ll get his amendment,” Sessions said. “Whether it was in the first tranche of four was, I guess, the question.”

As written, the bill guarantees commission seats to the governors of California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. While Nevada is not a border state, Heller argued this week it shares the same concerns stemming from a growing Hispanic population.

“Although Nevada does not touch the southern border, its current demographics and state issues are reflective of other southern border states, and Nevada should have a voice on this commission,” he said in a speech Wednesday.

Heller has submitted two other amendments to the immigration bill.

One would require the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress how it intends to put in place systems at U.S. international airports to collect biometric information on passengers as a method to track those who may overstay their visas.

The second would require the department to develop a plan to reduce wait times by 50 percent at the airports that would be part of the system.

“While I firmly believe that we need to process our visitors both in and out of this country safely and securely, it is also essential that this mandatory exit system not cause increased travel delays for international passengers at high volume airports, like McCarran International Airport,” Heller said.

The travel industry is urging support for the Heller amendments that it says could address criticism that customs and entry procedures at U.S. airports are lengthy and inefficient.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Follow him on Twitter @STetreaultDC.