Welcome to our second edition of the Week in Review! Each week, the news staff of The Pioneer brings you a list of the top national and international stories from the past week. If you want to know what you’ve missed, read on. And don’t worry-we’ve linked to longer articles on each subject if you decide you’d like to learn more. This is a new undertaking for us, so we welcome feedback about how to make this more useful to you. Feel free to comment below, or shoot us an email at editors@whitmanpioneer.com with suggestions.
1. Blueprint for Immigration Reform
A group of bipartisan senators unveiled a blueprint for immigration reform last Monday which would allow for a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented immigrants. The plan incorporates Democrat insistence for a single comprehensive bill that would not deny eventual citizenship to illegal immigrants while incorporating Republican senators’ demands that strong border and interior enforcement must be addressed before citizenship pathways can be paved for undocumented immigrants.
Meanwhile, a group of four senators proposed a bill last Tuesday which plans to double the number of temporary visas available each year to highly skilled immigrants.
The NY Times has coverage on both plans here and here.
2. Compromise on Contraceptives Proposal
The White House proposed a compromise to the current health care policy last Friday, Feb. 1. The Obama administration has received immense pressure from religious organizations protesting the policy’s plans to provide free contraceptives. The proposal could affect churches and religiously-affiliated hospitals, universities and social service organizations.