[JURIST] Democrats in the US Senate [official website] on Wednesday renewed efforts to pass legislation that would grant temporary legal status to illegal immigrant workers who work in agriculture, after House Republicans stalled bicameral negotiations last year. The Senate passed [JURIST report] a bill [S 2611 summary] in May that would set millions of illegal immigrants on a path to potential citizenship and would authorize a temporary worker program. Members of Congress must reconcile the bill with the more restrictive House version [HR 4437 summary] passed late last year [JURIST report] which makes unlawful presence in the US a felony subject to deportation and could punish humanitarian groups aiding illegals. The new proposal, dubbed the blue card program, will grant temporary legal status to immigrants working in agriculture once they pay a fine and satisfy tax obligations, and will likely appear in a broader immigration package later in the winter.

The New York Times reported last month that the bicameral committee, led by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Representatives Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), responsible for hammering out a comprehensive immigration reform package [JURIST news archive] may recommend [JURIST report] to the new Congress that illegal immigrants not be required to leave the country before petitioning for legal status. The committee expects to have a reconciled bill ready for the Senate to consider in March or April, followed by a House vote shortly thereafter. AP has more.