Immigration Bill Strong Starting Point Down Path to Reform
Statement by John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority, in response to the Senate̢???s ̢???Gang of Eight̢???? immigration bill introduced today.
The Senate̢???s ̢???Gang of Eight̢???? introduced bipartisan immigration legislation today that targets key problems within our broken immigration system, many of which, if fixed, would significantly boost our economy and small businesses. While not perfect, the bill is chock full of provisions small businesses strongly support and believe would help their companies compete in our global economy.
Small Business Majority̢???s recent opinion polling found nearly nine in 10 small businesses believe our immigration system is broken and support comprehensive reform because it will be good for America, good for small businesses and provide major economic benefits.
The legislation includes a pathway to citizenship, which small business owners strongly support. Our polling found small businesses believe creating a path to earned citizenship is the most appropriate solution for handling our country̢???s 11 million undocumented immigrants. Three-quarters believe we would be better off if people who are in the country illegally become legal taxpayers and can work toward citizenship in the future. A 62 percent majority agrees undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. should be allowed to stay, and 65 percent think they should not only be allowed to stay here, but to work toward citizenship over time.
Additionally, more than eight in 10 support increasing the number of visas for legal immigrants who have advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, and 87 percent support requiring illegal immigrants with no criminal record to register for legal status, pass a background check, learn English, pay a fine and pay taxes. A broad three-quarters agree the argument that turning 11 million undocumented immigrants into taxpayers̢??which would add $1.5 trillion to the economy over the next 10 years and produce a net increase in tax revenue of $4.5 billion to $5.4 billion in the first three years alone̢??makes them view the Senate̢???s comprehensive reform plan positively.
Small businesses need smart policies that strengthen our recovering economy and give them what they need to compete. They resoundingly agree comprehensive immigration reform will do just that. We hope lawmakers come together and agree on a robust bill they can quickly send to the president for his signature.
<p><strong>About Small Business Majority</strong><br />
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/SBM_Media" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessMajority" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://instagram.com/smlbizmajority/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</p>