House passes plan for photo IDs
DAVE MONTGOMERY
Star-Telegram Washington Bureau
Sep 21, 2006
WASHINGTON - Legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections cleared the House on Wednesday as congressional Republicans pressed ahead with a legislative assault on illegal immigration in advance of the November elections.
That theme was echoed on the other side of the Capitol, where senators opened debate on House-passed legislation to stretch more than 700 miles of double-layered fencing across five sections of the U.S.-Mexico border, including parts of Texas.
President Bush, interviewed by CNN's Wolf Blitzer, said he would sign the fencing bill if it emerges from Congress but vowed to keep pushing for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration system.
Senate-passed legislation that included a foreign guest-worker program and provisions to legalize millions of illegal immigrants stalled in a prolonged stalemate between the House and the Senate.
With lawmakers poised to quit work late next week to campaign for the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Republican leaders in the House are stitching together a get-tough package of border security measures to present to voters demanding action on illegal immigration.
The latest bill, passed 228-196, would require voters to provide photo identification in the 2008 election. By 2010, voters in federal elections will be required to present photo identification showing that they are U.S. citizens.
States will be required to set up the identification card programs but would be reimbursed by the federal government. Indigent voters would not be charged for the document.
