By Micheal E. Hill
Monday, June 11, 2012 -- 9:20 am EDT

--Updated on Friday, June 15, 2012, at 11:58 pm EDT--
--Original Version Posted on Friday, June 8, 2012, at 2:25 am EDT--

The House begins yet another week-long recess on Monday, June 11, leaving the Senate behind to toil alone in Washington. 

The big immigration- and refugee-related action occurring during the week-to-come could be a Senate vote on an amendment to the Farm Bill that seeks to assure that undocumented aliens do not receive Food Stamp benefits.  The effort could wind up also deying Food Stamp benefits to U.S. citizen children who live in mixed alienage households.  

Also of significance to the immigration- and refugee-related community during the coming week is the consideration by the Senate Committee on Appropriations of the fiscal year 2013 bill that funds the operations of the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which administers the federal government's refugee resettlement, trafficking victim assistance, torture victim assistance, and unaccompanied alien child programs and functions. 

Also occurring during the week-to-come is a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the operations of the Department of Justice, featuring Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., which could get into immigration enforcement and adjudication issues.  

On-the-Hill Activity
The following lists the highlights of coming week's possible immigration- or refugee-related legislative-related action:

Floor Action

• Senate Could Face Vote on Immigration in Connection with the Farm Bill.  The full Senate during the week of June 11 is expected to continue its consideration of S. 3240, the "Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012", which is more popularly known as "The Farm Bill".  The Senate is expected to face numerous amendments to the measure, including a SNAP and Immigrants Amendment that Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) intends to offer to the bill that would require that immigration status of SNAP program recipients be verified through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) System, require that SNAP applicants sign a declaration that all members of their household are ether nationals of the United States or are “in a satisfactory immigration status”, and require applicants to submit documentation of their citizenship status and the citizenship status of members of the household in order to receive benefits.  Also rumored to be possible is a Rubio Child Tax Credit Amendment, presumbaly based on S. 3083, the "Responsible Child Tax Credit Eligibility Act of 2012", legislation he has introduced that would amend the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer who is an alien and who is claiming the refundable portion of the child tax credit to attach to his or her tax return a photocopy of each page of the taxpayer's passport, the taxpayer's nonimmigrant visa, the taxpayer's employment authorization, the taxpayer's arrival-departure record (Form I-94), and the passport, visa, and Form I-94 for each qualifying alien child of the taxpayer. 

Markups

• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee to Mark Up FY '13 Appropriations Bill that Funds Refugee Resettlement and Unaccompanied Alien Children.  The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies during the week of June 11 is scheduled to mark up its version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.  Each year, the measure funds the operations of the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which administers the federal government's refugee resettlement, trafficking victim assistance, torture victim assistance, and unaccompanied alien child programs and functions. 

• Senate Appropriations Committee to Mark Up FY '13 Appropriations Bill that Funds Refugee Resettlement and Unaccompanied Alien Children.  The full Senate Committee on Appropriations during the week of June 11 is sheduled to mark up its version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.  Each year, the measure funds the operations of the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which administers the federal government's refugee resettlement, trafficking victim assistance, torture victim assistance, and unaccompanied alien child programs and functions. 

Hearings

• Senate Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing on the Operations of the Department of Justice.  The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled an oversight hearing for next week on the operations of the Department of Justice.  The sole witness at the hearing will be Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.

 
"Off-of-the-Hill" Activity

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