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Idaho committee kills immigration bill to make employers pay
Mar 5, 2007

BOISE, Idaho - A Senate panel voted 5-4 Monday to kill a bill to require employers who willfully hire illegal aliens to pay for their health care costs when those workers get injured on the job, the Spokesman-Review reported.

Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, was pushing the plan, which is among several immigration-related bills including making English Idaho's official language and denying taxpayer-funded services to illegal immigrants.

Health and Welfare Committee members questioned what the bill would do, since it's already illegal to hire illegal immigrants, and employers already are liable for their employees' health care costs for on-the-job injuries through workers' compensation laws.

"Where is the need for this legislation?" said Sen. Chuck Coiner, R-Twin Falls, arguing that current Idaho law is adequate. "I don't see it does anything."

Jorgenson said he was trying to send a message to employers: It's their responsibility to use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, to check if their workers are entitled to be in the United States.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)