Reid said to set deadline for bipartisan immigration deal

Having concluded that talks to advance a bipartisan immigration overhaul are stalled and party lines in the Senate are hardening, Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has told Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) to strike a deal in three weeks or Democrats will bring their own bill forward, aides and lobbyists said Thursday.

The move came as Reid vaulted an immigration overhaul to the top of Congress’s spring agenda, saying at a leadership meeting this week that the Senate could take up the measure before it considers an energy bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) agreed to hold a vote before congressional elections in November if the Senate passes a bill, aides said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/23/AR2010042301441.html?hpid=moreheadlinesBy Spencer S. Hsu — Washington Post