Immigration reform advances; Sebelius has picketing bill
By James Carlson
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, March 28, 2008

The House late Thursday created new crimes aimed at curbing illegal immigration but stripped penalties for businesses knowingly hiring unauthorized workers.

The House's first-round approval of the immigration bill came the same day the Senate voted during final action to pass its version.

The House legislation would criminalize voter fraud, identity fraud, and misclassification of workers and would require employers to use E-Verify, a federal database that checks the citizenship status of workers.

"I think this goes a long way toward directing penalties to the offending businesses," said Rep. Richard Carlson, R-St. Marys, author of the amendment that rewrote the bill.

The immigration debate came on a full day under the Statehouse dome. In the Senate, lawmakers passed the funeral picketing ban on to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who said she would sign it. The House also approved a bill allowing manufacturers, dealers and individuals to own automatic weapons.

Much of the House immigration debate centered on how to deal with businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers. The approved proposal would open up businesses to contempt of court fines or possible jail time if they knowingly hire undocumented workers, but critics of the bill decried those sanctions as a slap on the wrist compared to the original language.

The bill with which the House began debate would have suspended business licenses from 10 days to indefinitely for employers violating a ban on hiring illegal immigrants.

A coalition of 36 business organizations, such as the Kansas Livestock Association and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, said the old language would have deputized businesses as enforcers of immigration law and hurt employers.

"Does any one of us want to drive Cessna away from the state?" asked Rep. Mario Goico, R-Wichita, a supporter of the new bill.

But at least one legislator in favor of stricter penalties mocked the business coalition.

"They want us to believe they're the brightest, most innovative, creative minds in the world," said Rep. Nile Dillmore, D-Wichita. "But when it comes to being able to follow employment law, they're deaf, dumb and blind?"

The bill also mandates the E-Verify system for all businesses in the state by 2011. Employers who use the system before that date would have an absolute defense against claims of hiring undocumented workers.

The Senate bill makes it a crime to use false identification to get a job, engage in human trafficking or coerce workers. It also creates an illegal immigration enforcement unit within the attorney general's office.

During the hours-long debate, House members beat back attempts to prohibit in-state tuition to children of illegal immigrants and another attempt to strengthen the business penalties.

http://cjonline.com/stories/032808/sta_262506076.shtml