Thread: IN - House won't vote on immigration bill

House won't vote on immigration bill

Bill may get public hearing
Updated: Wednesday, 11 Mar 2009, 7:52 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 11 Mar 2009, 6:08 PM EDT

Jim Shella
Edited by Andrew Bonner

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - An immigration reform bill won't get a vote in the Indiana House of Representatives. The bill was assigned to a committee chaired by Representative Earl Harris. The committee is where, most often, bills go to die.

Illegal immigration remains a hot button issue at the Statehouse but, with no consensus on how to solve the problem, the House is taking a pass. Committee chairman Earl Harris (D) of East Chicago said he may hold a public hearing on the matter, but won't permit a vote on the immigration reform bill that passed the state Senate earlier this year.

"No, I don't think this session. I really don't think this is the year that we should do that," said Harris.

The Democrats who control the House killed the governor's government reform proposal in a committee Tuesday and a Republican countdown clock reminds people that a bill to make property tax caps permanent is about to die. You can add immigration reform to that countdown.

"I will still work to get a vote. But no question about it, if we don't get a vote, that would be disappointing," said state Senate sponsor, Republican Mike Delph.

Opponents said the effort was misguided.

“More so, it doesn't have the support of the people of Indiana with regard to immigration reform at the state level. It's obviously a federal issue," said Mike Leppert of the Green Industry Alliance.

Representative Harris said there are simply more important things to do.

"My focus has gotta be the economic growth and survival of the state of Indiana and the people in it," said Harris.

That means immigration reform will wait until at least next year.

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/politics ... l_20090311

Enforcing our immigration laws and throwing the "Anchors" out with the illegals will save every state in our country BIG bucks!