Florida loses more than 1,800 jobs and $150 million in economic activity each month Congress delays passage of the immigration reform bill, according to a new report released Friday by the Community Business Association of Central Florida and Mi FamiliaVota.
Entitled, “What’s on the Line: The Costs of Delaying Immigration Reform for Florida’s Economy and Small Business, the report builds on economic research by Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI) on the economic impacts of key components of the Senate-passed immigration package, including a path to legal status and eventual citizenship and reforms to high-skilled and lower-skilled visa programs.
“The House of Representatives has already delayed two and a half months since the Senate passed immigration reform in June,” said small business owner Troy Gage. “When we hit three months, that delay will have cost Florida more than 5,500 jobs and almost $450 million in economic activity. Every month they continue to stall, it’s another 1,800 jobs and $149 million in economic activity. This is shooting our economy and our small businesses in the foot.”
According to the report, every day of delay on immigration reform costs Florida $4.9 million in economic activity and more than 60 jobs.
The groups releasing the report urged the Orlando City Council and the Regional Chamber to pass resolutions calling on Congress to move forward with immigration reform.
See the full report HERE.
