KNOXVILLE – A private relief bill that would allow the Japanese widow of an East Tennessee Marine to live in the United States has stalled and appears dead for the year.
U.S. Rep. John Duncan, a Tennessee Republican, sponsored the bill for Hotaru Ferschke, the widow of Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke whose family lives in Maryville, in an effort to fix a decades old immigration law that prevented her from living in Tennessee with the couple’s toddler son.
But Duncan’s office told The Knoxville News Sentinel on Thursday that a member of the House Judiciary Committee is refusing to fast-track the legislation before Congress adjourns. The Senate has already passed its version of the bill.
Duncan’s spokesman, Patrick Newton, said they will pursue legislation next year.