After a first test vote on the bill failed 33-63 earlier Thursday, a second vote to end debate and schedule a final vote received only 45 favorable votes. It needed 60.<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocrats are refusing to allow votes on amendments to the legislation on the Senate floor,\u201d Domenici said. \u201cMore than 300 amendments have been filed to this bill. Only about 10 percent of those amendments have been dealt with. Clearly the Senate, which is known for its deliberative nature, has not had an adequate opportunity to improve upon this bill on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n Domenici reminded his peers that he was present in the late 1970s when the Senate debated a natural gas bill for weeks, and said there was no reason to avoid such a process on the important immigration bill. He also said a number of amendments he proposed, including the adding of a number of federal judgeships along the border, were not considered.<\/p>\n Domenici also said a number of aspects of the bill had been amended in ways that concerned him.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of Democrats\u2019 refusal to consider important amendments to this bill, we will not see any of the comprehensive border security improvements that Majority Leader Harry Reid<\/a> of \u201cThis is the president\u2019s bill,\u201d the Associated Press<\/a> quoted Reid as saying. \u201cWhere are the president\u2019s people helping us with these votes?\u201d<\/p>\n As the news service reported, the commerce and homeland security secretaries lobbied members of Congress right up to Thursday\u2019s second vote.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_IabUCQmoheQ\/RmljlNANNhI\/AAAAAAAACiY\/nO2Si12tEyQ\/s1600-h\/Domenici,+Pete.jpg\")
<\/a>U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici<\/a>, R-N.M., part of a bipartisan group that proposed the plan, voted against ending debate and scheduling a final vote on the bill.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_IabUCQmoheQ\/RmljldANNiI\/AAAAAAAACig\/ViDBKLOXhnc\/s200\/Richardson,+Bill.jpg\")
<\/a>Gov. Bill Richardson<\/a> said he was disappointed that senators could not reach compromise. He opposed the original version of the bill primarily because it would have changed the visa system from one that places a lot of weight on familial ties to one that places most weight on workers\u2019 skills.<\/p>\n