Thread: Gardner's mother upset with stalled legislation

Gardner's mother upset with stalled legislation
Congressional debate includes DWI measure named for her son
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ AND JEFFERSON GEORGE

Scott Gardner's death sharpened the Carolinas' illegal immigration debate more than any other event of the past year, launching a flurry of calls for tougher laws and raising emotions on all sides of the issue.

But proposed changes to immigration and drunken-driving rules have stalled or failed at county, state and federal levels.

The lack of significant changes to state or federal laws since the tragedy have left many frustrated, including Gardner's mother, Emily Moose.

Moose supports the "Scott Gardner Act," a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, a Charlotte Republican. It proposes immediately deporting an illegal immigrant convicted of driving while impaired.

She now worries her son's death is being lost in the economic debate over immigration.

"One year later," she said, "nobody still can answer my questions."

The "Scott Gardner Act" is now part of the House immigration bill. The act is not part of the Senate-proposed bill, which would place undocumented immigrants on a path to legalization. The two sides are struggling to reach a compromise.

Moose, a York, S.C., resident, is also disappointed that her congressman, Democratic Rep. John Spratt, voted against the House bill.

Spratt said he knows the Moose family and strongly supported the Scott Gardner Act, as well as several recent immigration measures. But the overall bill didn't provide adequate resources for enforcing immigration laws, Spratt said. That means tougher penalties wouldn't do much good, he said.

"I fully support what they were seeking," Spratt said. "I just felt this could be a better bill."

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So, has Congressman Spratt detailed wording of an enforcement-only bill that he WOULD support?




I didn't think so...

"Excuses, excuses, we hear them every day." - a song by the Cathedrals