Last modified on Monday, March 12, 2007 4:45 PM MDT


Idaho Senate votes to bar public support to illegal immigrants

By JOHN MILLER
BOISE, Idaho - Senators voted 29-6 Monday for a bill aimed at preventing illegal immigrants in Idaho from receiving most local, state and federal public assistance, overcoming objections from a handful of Democrats and Republicans who said it would be ineffective and could be a tool for discrimination.

The bill now goes to the House.

It would require a person to prove lawful presence in the United States before receiving assistance such as Medicare.

Recipients of such taxpayer-financed social assistance would have to use a driver's license or a passport, combined with a valid Social Security number, to prove their right to be in the country before receiving benefits. It carves out exceptions for emergencies, so illegal immigrants would be entitled to benefits in the event of injuries, childbirth or neonatal care.

"It requires people to show they are in this country legally before receiving valuable taxpayer dollars," said Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell and sponsor of the plan.

Sen. Mike Burkett, D-Boise, said he feared the bill could be used by local government officials to target certain groups, including those of Hispanic or Latino ancestry who make up Idaho's largest minority at about 9 percent of the population.

"This will be a tool for discrimination," Burkett said.

It wasn't a party-line vote, however. Four Democrats _ Sens. Elliot Werk, of Boise; Kate Kelly, of Boise; Clint Stennett, of Ketchum; and Diane Bilyeu, of Pocatello _ voted for the bill.

"It moves the dialogue forward," Kelly said of the bill. "I have heard from my constituents that they want to do something."

She said the bill may have to be amended next year, to be more specific about what benefits should require residency verification.

Three Republicans opposed it: Sens. Chuck Coiner, of Twin Falls; Joe Stegner, of Lewiston; and Tim Corder, of Mountain Home.

Corder said he didn't think it was an effective solution to America's _ or Idaho's _ problems with illegal immigration.

"This bill is going to make a lot of us feel good," Corder said. "But it's not going to address a solution."

Meanwhile, Coiner said he believes such legislation is "abhorrent" and could allow local officials with racist agendas to start "monkeying around" with laws to deny certain groups benefits. He also said the benefits that would be denied weren't clearly defined in the bill.

"If you apply for a library card, that's a public benefit. Going to a city park? That's a public benefit," Coiner said. "Where is the definition of public benefit that prevents this thing from getting carried away?"

McGee countered that his bill doesn't make verification a requirement for getting mundane things such as library cards.

While he said he couldn't provide specific instances in which illegal immigrants had been documented taking advantage of social services, he said "anecdotal evidence" from his discussions with state agencies such as the Department of Health and Welfare showed such abuses were occurring.

"Immigration policy in this country is dysfunctional and broken," he said. "It is time for Idaho to take further action."

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