Lawmaker Defends Employer Sanctions Law
July 14th, 2007 @ 7:42am
by Doug Ramsey/KTAR

A key lawmaker says the state's new employer sanctions law won't hurt businesses who follow it.

Peoria Senator Bob Burns helped negotiate the law. He disputes that it will devastate Arizona's economy.

"We believe that if the employers show due diligence in their employment practices, then they're protected," says Burns.

That means checking new hires against a federal database and checking IDs as required by federal law.

Burns says businesses should work to solve the immigration problem instead of starting a fight.

Two business groups filed a lawsuit Friday challenging the new Arizona law that makes it a crime to knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

The Arizona Contractors Association and Arizona Employers For Immigration Reform asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the new rules, which were signed into law 11 days ago by Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The business groups argued the law is an unconstitutional attempt by the state to regulate immigration and that cracking down on such hirings is a responsibility of the federal government.


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