Rep. John Carter: Sweeping Immigration Bill

Rep. John Carter Dept: WASHINGTON - A group of Republicans and Democrats in the House is finalizing a sweeping immigration bill that offers work permits and the eventual prospect of citizenship to millions of people living illegally in the United States, aides say. That path to citizenship, however, is likely to take at least 15 years for many, longer than envisioned by Senate immigration negotiators or by President Barack Obama, according to Winnipeg Free Press. "We have legislative language that we'll be ready to go forward on, not concepts but actual language," Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, a leader of the group, said this week on "Capital Tonight," a program on cable news channel YNN in Central Texas and FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013, file photo, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, performs a mock swearing in for Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, on Capitol Hill in Washington as the 113th Congress began. A group of Republicans and Democrats in the House is finalizing a sweeping immigration bill that offers work permits and the eventual prospect of citizenship to millions of people living illegally in the United States, aides say. "We have legislative language that we'll be ready to go forward on, not concepts but actual language," Carter, a leader of the group, said this week on a Texas cable news channel. AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File The secretive House effort, which also aims to further tighten the border against foreigners crossing illegally into the U.S. and crack down on employers who hire them, has been overshadowed by the bipartisan negotiations in the Senate, which is expected to act first on immigration legislation. But it's an important indication that a number of lawmakers, including Republicans, in the conservative-dominated House want to have a say in crafting a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration law. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.