Immigration deal fails in Kansas
Republicans, Democrats, state chamber all find fault with bill

Tim Carpenter

The freight train of immigration reform came to a screeching halt Friday when get-tough Republicans, worker-rights Democrats and labor realities of big business clashed in the House.

As the clock wound down on the 2008 regular session, an attempt to push through a compromise bill was blocked 59-57 by Republicans seeking tougher sanctions against illegal aliens, by Democrats seeking restoration of a punishment for businesses that avoid paying employee taxes and by special-interest groups, including the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, warning against harm to the Kansas economy.
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House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, said that vote wasn’t the last word because “everything has more than one lifeâ€