Thread: Gov. Owens signs immigration bills

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Gov. Owens signs immigration bills
By Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News
July 31, 2006

Bill Owens, in what he described as his last legislative act as governor, signed 10 immigration bills into law this afternoon that he touted as the toughest in the country.

Owens praised state lawmakers for passing the package of laws during a special session he convened in early July. But he said he was disappointed that the Democrat-led legislature did not approve several bills he supported and did not send to the November ballot an initiative that sought to deny services to illegal immigrants.

The centerpiece law is HB 1023, which requires a three-step ID verification process for applicants of government benefits, licenses, contracts and loans. That law takes effect Tuesday.

It impacts a wide range of government agencies and is expected to cause some chaos as residents learn about the strict requirements. The law says applicants for benefits like welfare and unemployment must present one of four required IDs (mainly a Colorado drivers license or Colorado issued ID). They must sign an affidavit attesting to their legal immigration status and then the agency worker must check the applicant's status through an online system called SAVE.

But concern about the strict ID provisions caused M. Michael Cooke, executive director of the Department of Revenue, to issue temporary rules that allow applicants to show a wider range of identification, including most birth certificates issued in the U.S., an unexpired foreign passport and a valid driver's license issued in about 34 other states.

Cooke also outlined a waiver process by which certain eligible people who don't have the required ID can still obtain benefits. Among them are those who cannot apply for a state ID because of medical problems, those who don't have a permanent address and those who lack the necessary documents to obtain a Colorado driver's license or ID. These rules will allow applicants to obtain benefits until March 1, 2007.

The Department of Revenue will open a special office to process waiver applications for HB 1023 Tuesday at the state Capitol annex, 1375 Sherman Street from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Governor Signs New Immigration Bills Into Law

POSTED: 1:53 pm MDT July 31, 2006
UPDATED: 2:48 pm MDT July 31, 2006

DENVER -- On Monday, Colorado's governor signed a landmark immigration measure that was passed during the special legislative session.

WATCH LIVE VIDEO: Governor's Press Conference

The signature means that several new immigration laws will take effect Tuesday, Aug. 1. Among the new law is House Bill 1023, which says that everyone over 18 will have to prove their citizenship when applying for non-emergency public benefits.

He said that Bill 1023 is considered the toughest illegal immigration law in the country.

The bill would not affect people who are under 18 years old, who are already receiving benefits or who are seeking prenatal care and temporary disaster relief.

State officials are creating a waiver process that would temporarily ease the identification requirement for homeless people and others who would have difficulty obtaining such documents.

Under the new law, the only acceptable forms of identification are a Colorado driver's license, a state-issued I-D card, a military identification card or a tribal certificate.

Draft guidelines would require anyone seeking public contracts, grants, loans or licenses to prove they are U.S. citizens or legal residents before such services are granted.

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/denver ... ily19.html

Owens signs immigration bills
The Denver Business Journal - 3:45 PM MDT Mondayby Amy FletcherDenver Business Journal
Gov. Bill Owens signed 10 immigration bills Monday, including a proposal some business groups say is onerous and unfair.

The bills came out of a special legislative session on immigration, which ran from July 6-10.

Businesses lobbied against House Bill 1017, which the governor signed. Employers say the law could open them up to thousands of dollars in fines for being fooled by employees' false identification papers. The bill, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires employers to keep employment eligibility forms on file and allows the state Department of Labor and Employment to conduct random audits to verify compliance.

Under 1017, the director of the state's Division of Labor may ask employers to submit documentation to prove they are complying with the law. Employers who don't submit documents or who submit false papers could be fined up to $5,000 for the first offense and up to $25,000 after that.

"We're just very disappointed the governor would make this decision," Tony Gagliardi, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said at the end of the special session. "He's always been very pro-business."

A main focus of the special session was House Bill 1023, which requires applicants for government benefits to prove they are lawfully in the United States. Some benefits, including food stamps and Medicaid, are not covered by the bill due to federal law.

Owens signed HB 1023 and called it "the toughest law dealing with illegal immigration enacted anywhere in the country."

"My goal of course is to stem the tide of illegal immigration coming into Colorado," he said.

According to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center, there are 200,000 -250,000 illegal immigrants in Colorado. Some lawmakers are concerned employers are breaking the law by hiring illegal workers, who may be receiving benefits reserved for American citizens.

Owens also signed the following bills affecting employers:

HB 1009 requires the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) and local governments to issue and renew licenses, permits, registrations and other authorizations only to people in the country legally.
DORA issues licenses for the professions it regulates, including accountants, barbers, cosmetologists, electricians, engineers, dentists, insurers, land surveyors, physical therapists, plumbers and veterinarians. Local governments also issue authorizations to conduct business, including development or building permits, and licenses for certain occupations, flea markets, liquor establishments, pawn shops and other businesses.

HB 1001 requires employers to prove that all of their workers are eligible to work in the country before they could receive economic-development incentives.

HB 1015 requires employers to withhold income tax from workers who don't provide a correct taxpayer identification number.