Alabama House panel delays vote on illegal immigration bill; sponsor revising measure



MONTGOMERY -- A review committee of the Alabama House of Representatives this morning postponed, perhaps for a week, a vote on a bill designed to deter illegal immigration.

The proposal, House Bill 56, among other things would require that any illegal immigrant convicted of a violation of state or local law, upon release from jail or payment of a fine, be immediately transferred to the custody of federal immigration or border officials.

The bill also would make other changes, such as make it illegal to transport an illegal alien to a grocery store or anywhere else in Alabama.

Rep. Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, is the sponsor of the proposed law and also chairs the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee that is reviewing it. Hammon said the committee could vote on the bill next week.

If passed by the committee, it then would face review by the full 104-member House.

Hammon said he is working on rewriting some parts of the bill, which is modeled after an illegal-immigration law recently approved by Arizona.

For instance, Hammon said a rewritten version of the bill would clearly require all businesses in Alabama to use E-Verify, an electronic federal program, to help ensure that each newly hired employee is authorized to work in the United States.

''We're trying not to be punitive and mean, but we do want to accomplish our mission,'' Hammon said. ''We want to discourage illegal immigrants from coming to Alabama and prevent those that are already here from putting down roots.''



http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/03/ala ... s_vot.html


The illegal loving trolls in the comments section of this article make me sick. I thought more people would support this bill.