Thread: Colorado Dems offer alternative to immigration session

http://www.rockymountainnews.com

Dems offer alternative to immigration session
By April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News
June 21, 2006

Democratic lawmakers called on Gov. Bill Owens on Tuesday to abandon his plan for a special session to revive a ballot measure denying illegal immigrants taxpayer-funded services.

They instead offered their own immigration strategy.

The Democrats proposed taking $3 million left from bills the Republican governor vetoed this session and using the money to beef up enforcement of existing immigration laws.

They also proposed requiring employers to verify a worker's legal status and employment eligibility.

"If the governor believes they're getting services illegally, he shouldn't wait until November," said House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver. "He should call his Cabinet (on) the carpet now and make sure the agencies in charge of providing services are doing their job."

Romanoff and Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Coal Creek Canyon, said that state and federal laws already bar most state services to illegal immigrants.

"The truth is, it's not the services drawing people to the state illegally; it's the jobs," Romanoff said. "If we want to stem the flow of illegal immigration, we need to target the source - the employer."

Republican lawmakers denounced the Democrats' proposal, saying that anything short of special session to put a measure on the ballot to deny illegal immigrants services is unacceptable.

"None of this has anything to do with the issue that has brought us to this point," said House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker. "It's about something bigger than Democrats' desire to protect their political backside - the citizens of Colorado's right to vote on the issue."

Owens will consider the Democrats' request, said Dan Hopkins, spokesman for the governor, but his special-session agenda is unlikely to change.

"The governor has made it clear that his focus is on the ballot initiative itself," he said.

Also Tuesday, the governor and lawmakers were asked to add three more items to the special session.

The Republican Study Committee of Colorado wants consideration of amending the Colorado Constitution to ensure that English is the official language for all state government agencies or any political subdivision and requiring proof of U.S. citizenship and Colorado residency to vote.

The Coloradans for Fairness and Equality Action Fund urged the governor and lawmakers to add a ban on common-law marriages for 12-year-olds to the agenda.

The call for action comes in the wake of the Colorado Court of Appeals ruling that girls as young as 12 can enter into common-law marriage in Colorado.

Owens last week said he will likely call a special session after the state Supreme Court disqualified a ballot proposal to deny most state services to illegal immigrants.

Why is it that the damn Democrats are always in favor of supporting tax payer funded services for illegal aliens while citizens have to shoulder the resultant crushing financial burden? Just drives me mad!!!!!!!!!

traveler,

I've never seen them this bad. It's like they have absolutly gone totaly off their nuts. I'm all for some welfare but the Dems want to support everyone on the planet. Maybe we can distract them with the puppy story.

Dixie