Thread: Legislative interest in immigration explodes

Legislative interest in immigration explodes
Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 2, 2007 12:00 AM

Immigration legislation is nothing new in Arizona where the state's proximity to the border has made it a bubbling issue for years.

But in the last two years, it has exploded into a national phenomenon.

The staff at the National Conference of State Legislatures, which held its fall meeting in Arizona last week, documented the number of immigration-related bills introduced in statehouses in 2007. They tallied 1,562, up more than 250 percent from the 2006 legislative session.

"Immigration is now a 50-state issue," said Sheri Steisel, who works on immigration issues for the legislative group.

"This has become an economic issue, a workforce issue and a social-services issue," she said at a discussion of immigration issues that drew at least 100 lawmakers and staff to a meeting room at the Arizona Biltmore.

The oversized room was further evidence of the growing imprint of immigration on state legislation: Several years ago, such a session would have drawn a smaller group.

Steisel said that immigration issues in the past tended to be concentrated in what she called the "Big Seven," meaning the states of California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Arizona.

In 2007, each of the 50 states had some sort of immigration-related legislation introduced, she said.

Of those introduced bills, 244 were signed into law. They include Arizona's employer-sanctions law, Oklahoma's comprehensive law (which ranges from employer sanctions to limitations on public assistance to authorizing local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law) and Illinois' new law. The Legislature there took the opposite tack of Arizona and forbade the use of the federal E-Verify system to check whether a hire is legally authorized to work in the U.S. (The Illinois law was based on the belief that the federal system had too many errors and therefore was unreliable.)

Employment-related issues ranked second in the list of immigration bills coming out of the states. The most popular category, according to the NCSL survey, included issues dealing with identification or driver's licenses. Law-enforcement issues ranked third.

Human-trafficking laws were passed in 13 states. Many states found themselves without any tools to prosecute smuggling of illegal aliens, which helps to explain the fact that there were 83 bills introduced nationwide on the topic, Steisel said.

All of this activity is driven in large part because of inaction on the part of the federal government, Steisel said.

"What we're seeing is tremendous activity across the country," she said.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 1202.html#

It's about Time ! I once heard that 'Can't Never Did Anything.' With so many American Sheeple anymore saying "We can't do anything about it. So you better just get used to it..."

Forgive me for what I wanted to say ! But case in point, WE THE PEOPLE, can do something about it ! We did back in my younger days when WE ran England and King George III off. Oh how I hated those Red Suits !

And now my friends... we see the same 'Economic Royalists' trying the same thing in my eyes. Just different wolves in different wool ....

I Remember when we first fought against the 'Tax Stamp' and formed the Sons of Liberty, and, well... I know you don't want to hear that boring story again ~

I hereby Proclaim and cry out to you America... mount your trusty steeds, light your brightest lanterns, and open the bottle and read the words, and spread the words amongst your neighbors, family and friends,

And especially to you.... who saw Ms. Liberty stumbling to her knees, and fearing she fall on her face, have come forth to give a hand... to Ms. Liberty ! To you... I hold my hand over my heart and thank you !

To A Better Day America !

Your Loyal Son & Servant ~

_____________________________

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death !