Lawmaker wants illegal aliens electronically tracked

Jeremy Alford
Capitol Correspondent


Published: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 10:26 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 10:26 a.m.

BATON ROUGE — A lawmaker who represents portions of Terrebonne Parish plans to reintroduce legislation next year that would require those who aren’t U.S. citizens to obtain an electronically scanned biometric card to get a job in Louisiana.

State Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, filed a similar bill earlier this year, but was unable to get it past the committee process.

In recent weeks, Harrison has been meeting with labor officials in Louisiana and Washington, D.C., in an effort to revamp the proposal.

The bill originally lost traction this year amid escalating costs and constitutional conflicts, but Harrison said changes on the national level are expected that would bolster his argument for a statewide program.

“I’ve been told that there will be a federal identification system online soon that we could tap into,â€