Thread: OK: State leads immigration issue

State leads immigration issue
By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
4/25/2008

Nearly every state is now putting forward legislation, a study finds.

WASHINGTON -- Oklahoma, which took an aggressive lead in 2007 in dealing with immigration policy, has been joined by almost all of the states in taking on the contentious issue this year, a report released Thursday shows.

"States are stepping up to the challenge . . . when the federal government has not," said William Pound, executive director of the National Conference of State Legislatures. "Congress needs to act to fix the dysfunctional immigration system."

Although immigration policy is a federal issue and requires a comprehensive approach by Congress, Pound said, the states feel the greatest impact because of health care, law enforcement and other services they provide.

He called on Congress to fund those consequences.

According to the report, the first ever to look at immigration legislation at the state level, Oklahoma is among 21 states in the "high activity" category, with more than 21 pieces of legislation.

An additional nine states were listed as "medium activity," with 11 to 20 bills intro duced, and 14 were termed "low activity," with fewer than 10 bills.

Oklahoma's 2007 law -- House Bill 1804 -- was singled out in one document handed out at the news conference because of its comprehensive approach and a court challenge it has generated.

Laws in Arizona and Illinois, which also have drawn challenges, also were described in detail.

The report focuses on the amount of legislation and the various areas covered but does not break bills down on a pro- or anti-immigrant basis.

Some would enhance benefits provided to immigrants, while others take a punitive approach.

The number of immigration bills filed on the state level mushroomed from 300 in 2005 to 1,500 in 2007 and 1,100 so far this year.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill that would make English the official lan guage for state government.

Pound, as well as two state lawmakers -- Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Wash., and Sen. Don Balfour, R-Ga., -- stressed that a "comprehensive" approach is needed by the federal government.

Santos said that approach must include border security, employer needs, the impact on states and a pathway to citizenship.

Balfour said immigrants do not come to the U.S. illegally because they are bad people, adding that they do so to get jobs.

He cited the effort last year in Congress to pass comprehensive immigration legislation, but that bill was doomed partly because of a disagreement over what should happen to illegal immigrants who already are here.

Balfour and Santos are on a National Conference of State Legislatures task force on immigration.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... hNear65672

Pound, as well as two state lawmakers -- Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Wash., and Sen. Don Balfour, R-Ga., -- stressed that a "comprehensive" approach is needed by the federal government

Georgia residents and others: please call or e-mail state Sen. Balfour and tell him to oppose any "pathway to citizenship" which we all know means amnesty, and which we know would only make the problem worse.

Balfour contact info:

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007 ... ourbio.php