Thread: House panel passes tough GOP immigration bill

February 23, 2007

‘Our tolerance has to be zero’ — House panel passes tough GOP immigration bill, nixes Dem measure
By Jim Small, jim.small@azcapitoltimes.com

A House committee approved a Republican-backed employer sanctions program instead of a Democrat immigration proposal that also included provisions to penalize businesses that hire illegal immigrants.


On a party-line vote, the House Government Committee approved H2779, which allows fines of up to $50,000 for a first offense, $100,000 for a second violation and $150,000 for a third violation. The bill also provides for business licenses to be suspended and revoked for breaking the law, as well as time in federal prison.


The bill requires employers to sign an affidavit swearing they will not hire illegal immigrants and will review documents presented by applicants and fill out a federal employment form.


The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Russell Pearce, R-18, said the measure will make businesses think twice before hiring illegal immigrants. This is the sixth year he has sponsored employer sanctions legislation.


“Our tolerance [of illegal workers] has to be zero,” he said.


The bill, which was amended in the committee, requires businesses to do little more than sign the affidavit. Investigations of employers would center on the I-9 form, which federal law currently requires employers to complete. The form dictates which documents a business can accept as proof of eligibility to work in the United States.


The bill passed the Government Committee 6-4 on Feb. 20.


However, the next day, the House Appropriations Committee amended the bill to restore many portions of the bill to their original form. The actions by the second committee make the fines mandatory and require every complaint that a business is hiring illegal immigrants to be investigated.


The changes were made with the approval of Republican leadership, Pearce said. He also said he would not support any changes made to the bill on the floor.


“It’s my bill,” he said. “I won’t support taking anything off of it.”


The Appropriations Committee approved H2779 by an 11-4 vote.


The Democrat’s bill, H2699, was defeated 4-6. Republicans on the committee assailed it for exempting too many businesses. The bill would have required only businesses with 40 or more employees be subject to verifying the immigration status of applicants through the federal Basic Pilot Program, an Internet-based authentication system.


“Arizona is a small-business state — the vast majority of our businesses [are small],” Committee Chairman Kirk Adams, R-19, said, estimating as much as 90 percent of Arizona companies would have been exempted.


House Speaker Jim Weiers, who sits on the Government Committee, said exempting any businesses from verifying a worker’s eligibility is unacceptable.


“This is as close to employer amnesty as you can get,” he said.


Business community opposed both bills



Jessica Pacheco, a lobbyist for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was one of several members of the business community who opposed both bills. She said the job of punishing businesses is that of the federal government, not state-by-state efforts to enact immigration reform.


Likewise, Todd Sanders of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce said the key to having a viable way to enforce employer sanctions is a federal identification card that includes biometric measures to prevent forgeries.

http://www.azcapitoltimes.com/story.cfm?id=5006

“Our tolerance [of illegal workers] has to be zero,” he said.

It's always nice to see an elected representative with his head on straight.