http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/ ... llegal.txt

State Immigration Bill Defeated In Committee

By John Lyon
The Morning News
LITTLE ROCK -- A House committee Tuesday turned back legislation to bar state agencies from contracting with businesses that employ illegal immigrants.

House Bill 1024 by Rep. Rick Green, R-Van Buren, would prohibit state agencies from entering into or renewing a public contract with a contractor "who knows or should know" that it or a subcontractor employs an illegal immigrant.

Green offered an amendment to the bill that would give a contractor 60 days to correct the situation after the firm is found to be employing an illegal immigrant.

The vote was 8-7, with 11 votes needed for the 20-member committee's endorsement.

Green said the bill would be a way for Arkansas to "take a stand" on the issue of illegal immigration.

Several members, among them Rep. Daryl Pace, R-Siloam Springs, questioned why the measure would be necessary when employing illegal immigrants is already a violation of federal law.

"I think that we're just piling on here," Pace said.

Alan Hughes, president of the Arkansas AFL-CIO, testified that the labor federation supports the bill because it addresses a fairness issue.

Contractors who employ only legal workers are at a disadvantage when competing against contractors who employ illegal immigrants, who may be willing to work for low wages or without benefits, Hughes said.

No contractors testified before the committee.

Rep. Willie Hardy, D-Camden, said the bill might address unfairness in competition for state contracts, but it would do nothing to address the problem in the private sector.

"I just think this is a short step and it does not fix the problem. It just moves these people that we have identified as illegal immigrants from state jobs over to the private sector," he said.

Hardy also said he believes illegal immigration is a federal issue, not a state issue.

Some members questioned how the law would be enforced and what the potential costs would be to the state.

Joe Giddis, director of the Office of State Procurement, said the mechanism is already in place for complaints about contractors to be made and investigated. The cost to implement Green's bill would not be significant, he said.

Rep. Stephanie Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, suggested the measure might be counterproductive. Illegal immigrants who are able to find work are less likely to rely on state services than those who are unemployed, she said.

"We can't help the fact that they're here. We cannot dismiss all of them from this country. Somebody is going to have to pick up the slack on what the needs for daily living are for these people and their families," Flowers said.

After the meeting, Green told reporters he would bring the bill back before the committee.
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