Immigration on agenda for study panel
By Deanna Martin / Associated Press
Posted: August 31, 2008Read Comments(7)Recommend

A State lawmakers charged with studying illegal immigration this summer are hoping to collect facts -- not political grandstanding or heated rhetoric -- during meetings next month.

The summer study committee on immigration issues has scheduled Statehouse meetings Sept. 9 and 16. The committee's co-chairmen -- Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, and Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City -- said they may hold other meetings around the state.

Pelath said the first meeting will focus on the scope of illegal immigration in Indiana.

"We want to find out how many illegal aliens are in our state right now, where they live and what they are doing to earn a living," Pelath said in a news release this month.

The committee is made up of House and Senate members, including Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster, who is the only Hispanic member of the House. Also on the panel is outspoken Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, who butted heads this year with several lawmakers, lobbyists and businessmen as he pushed for a bill to crack down on companies hiring illegal workers.

Kruse said the study committee needs to understand how illegal immigration affects the state economy, law enforcement and families.

Lawmakers have struggled to find common ground on immigration.

The House and Senate passed different versions of Delph's immigration bill earlier this year, although both versions would have created a three-tier punishment system for companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants after 2009.

The proposal spurred a lot of political maneuvering, and the House and Senate could not strike a compromise.

The issue was instead sent to a study committee, which can lead to recommendations for future bills. Delph has said he plans to propose another immigration bill next year.

Some see the immigration study committee as a chance for lawmakers to step back from the emotional debate and take a more objective look.

But when it comes to the hot-button topic of illegal immigration, even fact finding can become a sensitive issue.

Delph said during the legislative session that illegal immigration is a drain on tax dollars. But opponents of the bill said the impact of illegal immigration isn't all bad, because illegal workers fill jobs that others may not want. Several business organizations opposed Delph's bill, saying Indiana's economy would suffer if it passed.
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