Colo. OKs toughest U.S. immigration bills

[brooklynite]

DENVER - Colorado lawmakers ended a five-day special session on illegal immigration with a resounding approval of several bills that Democrats call the toughest in the nation and Republicans say don't go far enough.

The legislation sent late Monday to Republican Gov. Bill Owens would force a million people receiving state or federal aid in Colorado to verify their citizenship.

It would deny most non-emergency state benefits to illegal immigrants 18 years old and older — forcing people to prove legal residency when applying for benefits or renewing their eligibility. The state Senate passed it 22-13 and the House voted 48-15 in favor. Both chambers are controlled by Democrats.

"At the end of the day, everybody who serves in this building as senators or representatives knows we're making Colorado history," said the bill's sponsor, Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald. "We want to be able to look in the mirror and say we did legislation that is tough, enforceable and humane."

Republicans said the legislation still left glaring loopholes, including allowing benefits for minors and denying voters the chance to have a direct say on the issue.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060711/ap_on_re_us/colorado_immigration_2

Does anyone else think Tancredo is going to set himself up for a Governor's run when his Presidential campaign crashes and burns?

[Minnesota Libra]

1. I used to live in Colorado and I know from experience.............

.....that illegal aliens are indeed an issue that needs to be addressed somehow and quickly, for everyone's best interest.

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Yeah, the local rag had Republicans whining

that Blowens is another Bill Clinton selling out to the Democrats.

What a laugh. All we did is adopt a version of Georgia's law.

Hawkeye-X

[Oreo]

3. The pubs don't like it because it won't be up for a vote in November

Lord knows they need their pet issues like gay marriage and immigration to get their people out to the polls. This is a good thing for Colorado in November.

Tancredo needs to be sent packing! I can't wait to vote against him!

[movonne]

4. Still nothing about business and corporations being fined for hiring

illegals..

[martymar64]

5. Just wait til the crops need to come in

Then you'll see that immigrants are much needed in even Colo.

[Critters2]

9. Employers will have to pay what the work is truly worth

Which is perfectly fair. I've said it time and again, you don't have a constitutional right to cheap lettuce.

[unlawflcombatnt]

11. I couldn't agree more

There certainly is not any Constitutional right to cheap lettuce, nor is there any life-threatening necessity in having lettuce. Many people have survived over thousands of years without ever even seeing lettuce.

Whether a job is low-paying or high-paying depends on the supply and demand for labor. If you reduce the labor supply enough for a "low-paying" job, it becomes a "high-paying" job. Employers must pay more to attract enough workers to meet the demand.

unlawflcombatnt

EconomicPopulistCommentary

EconomicPatriotForum

___________
The economy needs balance between the "means of production" & "means of consumption."

[unlawflcombatnt]

6. A Start

As mentioned by another poster on this thread, there is nothing mentioned about prosecuting employers. Still, it's at least a start.

However, the measures by Hazelton, PA, and Idaho Canyon County would be more effective. Hazelton wants to revoke the business licenses of companies that employ illegal immigrants. Idaho Canyon County is filing racketeering charges against Corporate agricultural companies that hire illegals.


unlawflcombatnt

EconomicPopulistCommentary

EconomicPatriotForum

___________
The economy needs balance between the "means of production" & "means of consumption."

[Critters2]

8. Taking away the licenses of employers

hiring illegal workers! EXACTLY the thing to do! In Iowa the corporate ag types just write fines into their budgets. THIS should have an effect!

[unlawflcombatnt]

10. Yes

If they could start doing this in California, it would make a huge dent in the problem, since California has far more illegal immigrants than any other state. And it would result in a huge increase in demand for American workers, since employers would have to hire Americans to stay in business.

unlawflcombatnt

EconomicPopulistCommentary

EconomicPatriotForum

___________
The economy needs balance between the "means of production" & "means of consumption."

[Bridget Burke]

12. There ARE legal immigrants, you know.

By "Americans"--do you just mean native born whites?

Legislation lacking serious punishment for illegal employers is toothless.

[unlawflcombatnt]

15. Punishment for Illegal Employers & H.R. 98

"Legislation lacking serious punishment for illegal employers is toothless."

You're absolutely right.

Regarding my own previous post, I'm lumping "legal" immigrants together with Americans, since they are both legal American residents and legal American workers. If someone is here legally, they are at least a de facto American. And they're hurt just as much by illegal immigration as American citizens are, and have just as much to gain from reducing illegal hiring by employers.

My own preference for legislation to reduce illegal immigration by targeting illegal employers is H.R. 98.

H.R. 98 mandates that employers verify Social Security numbers using a new, tamper-proof Social Security card with an electronic identification strip on it. (Which has not passed into law, but is still under consideration.) In general, it mandates that employers verify Social Security numbers using a new, tamper-proof Social Security card with an electronic identification strip on it. Verification is mandatory before an employee is hired. Failure to verify violates the law and will be prosecuted via civil or criminal statute.


Below is a copy of the Thomas CRS summary of H.R. 98.

"H.R.98

Title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to enforce restrictions on employment in the United States of unauthorized aliens through the use of improved Social Security cards and an Employment Eligibility Database, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Dreier, David (introduced 1/4/2005) Cosponsors (57)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00098:@@@D&summ2=m&

Latest Major Action: 5/12/2005 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY AS OF:
1/4/2005--Introduced.

Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to require inclusion of encrypted machine-readable electronic identification strips on Social Security cards.

Requires the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) develop the strip in a manner that enables employers to access the Employment Eligibility Database (EED) established by this Act; and (2) transmit to the Secretary of Homeland Security necessary information from an individual's application for a Social Security card or number (as determined by the Secretary) for inclusion in the EED.

Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain the EED. Requires the EED to include data on the citizenship status and work and residency eligibility of noncitizens authorized to work in the United States.

Restricts access to EED information.

Prohibits individuals from commencing employment with a U.S. employer absent a Social Security card that meets the requirements of this Act and presentation of such card to the employer.

Prohibits employers from hiring individuals absent verification of identity and work authorization.

Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) assess penalties against employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers or fail to comply with verification procedures; and (2) bring civil actions against those who fail to pay assessments or otherwise violate this Act. Establishes criminal penalties for such violations.

Mandates integration of Border Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint databases.

States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to establish a national identification card."

Here is the link to the Thomas site's CRS summary of H.R. 98:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00098:@@@D&summ2=m&

If this link doesn't work, try the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109
(once you get to the Thomas site, copy & paste the letters in bold below and add them to the very end of the link. That should take you directly to the CRS summary of H.R.98: :HR00098:@@@D&summ2=m& )

Here's another link to a pdf file of the full text of H.R. 98:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:h98ih.txt.pdf

unlawflcombatnt

EconomicPopulistCommentary

EconomicPatriotForum

___________
The economy needs balance between the "means of production" & "means of consumption."

[superconnected]

7. yeah cause the problem are the poor immigrants and not the big

corporations outsourcing jobs to overseas and selling us back products.

I see hate lives on in the dem party.

[depakid]

13. Good luck with the meat packing plants

and all of the filthy feedlots.

[saigon68]

14. WHITE MEN WON'T CUT CATTLE

[Critters2]

17. They did when those were union jobs n/t

[saigon68]

18. YES THEY DID

When the jobs paid $10.00 an hour

Now they pay minimum wage or cash

[Critters2]

16. Americans did that work when it was well-paid and union organized

and there's no reason to think they wouldn't again. Me, I don't eat meat, partly because the industry is so corrupt. But as long as the rest of you do, the industry ought to pay a living wage for the work.

[w4rma]

19. Wow, Dems jumped right on that and took it out.

As to those "loopholes", I'm absolutely fine with leaving any benefits for minors there and I have no clue what they are talking about with the "voters direct say thing" - that sounds like sour grapes from Repukes who wanted to use this issue in November, except Dems (unlike Repugs in Congress) went to bat and passed good law.