WASHINGTON Efforts to overhaul the nation's immigration rules suffered a severe setback on Thursday when the Senate failed to approve a proposal ending debate on the reform package currently under consideration, casting its future in doubt.
The National Restaurant Association has warned that a failure to approve federal reform legislation opens the door for stringent enforcement measures at the state and local level.
The group recently voiced its support for the current Senate bill, which it had originally criticized. A closure vote on the Kennedy-Kyl proposal fell 15 votes short of approval. Had that proposal passed, the bill would have moved on to a full vote by the Senate.