Immigration Reform Passes Senate, House Leadership Calls Bill A “Pipe Dream”

Immigration reform is half-way to its goal: The Senate passed a comprehensive bill this afternoon 68 to 32. The bill is loaded with tech-industry goodies, including more foreign visas, a special visa for startup entrepreneurs, and unlimited space for brainiac inventors and scientists.

However, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have unspecified issues with the bill and say the Senate version is a “pipe dream.”

“Apparently some haven’t gotten the message: The House is not going to take up and vote on whatever the Senate passes. We’re going to do our own bill — through regular order — and move the legislation that reflects the will of our majority and the will of the American people,” said speaker of the House, John Boehner at a press conference on Capitol Hill.

The House is intent on moving things through an orderly process of debate, revisions, and committee hearings. Currently, the House has broken up immigration reform into several bills, including a high-skill worker bill that CrunchGov is helping to crowdsource (contribute your ideas here).

So, it’s one big step, but not the goal line yet.