AZ Gov Vetoes Immigration Bill
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Governor vetoes immigration bill
She cites 'meaningless' employer sanctions
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have criminalized the presence of illegal immigrants in the state and set fines for employers who continue to rely on illicit foreign labor after receiving warnings. The bill would have provided money for local police to arrest immigrants and expanded the list of government benefits denied to immigrants. "It offers no constructive new ideas and instead is filled with unworkable or unconstitutional provisions that I have previously objected to or vetoed,'' Napolitano wrote in a letter to lawmakers. The governor's criticism of the bill centered mostly on the bill's employer sanctions, which Napolitano said would have given "amnesty to employers.'' The measure would have let state prosecutors seek civil penalties as high as $5,000 and suspend or revoke business licenses if an employer under investigation fails to follow an order to stop employing illegal workers. However, "an employer that simply complies with the order upon receipt pays no fine, risks no jail time, and can continue with normal business operations as if nothing has happened,'' Napolitano wrote.
The bill would also have required the state to pay the legal costs if any immigrants sued the state. The latest version of the proposed trespassing expansion was changed so that it could be enforced only when police first approach a person about another offense, such as a traffic violation. The bill also would have prohibited illegal immigrants from attending adult education classes and receiving cheaper in-state tuition and financial assistance at the state's public universities and community colleges.
