Thread: NE: Governor leaves work of reviving immigration bill to oth

Governor leaves work of reviving immigration bill to others
By NATE JENKINSMonday, Mar 03, 2008 - 04:46:04 pm CST

LINCOLN, Neb. - Three days after angrily criticizing a legislative committee for killing his immigration bill and then asking Nebraskans to lobby for a reversal, Gov. Dave Heineman said he doesn't plan on talking to committee members himself.

Heineman said during a news conference Monday that he instead will leave it up to a state senator to persuade the committee to reconsider its vote.

But that lawmaker said he doesn't plan on doing any arm-twisting to revive the measure (LB963).

"I don't know if it's my job to tell them to vote again," said Sen. Mike Friend of Omaha, adding that he's willing to talk to members of the committee but likely won't press the issue.

On Friday, Heineman nearly yelled as he criticized the committee's vote and responded to charges that his support of the bill has racist overtones.

That outburst followed an emotionally charged hearing Wednesday where residents cried out for action to curb illegal immigration. Heineman has said his measure is a modest effort to make sure people who don't qualify for benefits don't get them, not an attack on illegal immigrants, and is a response to federal inaction.

The bill would require state agencies to verify that residents applying for state benefits are in the United States legally.

It would also prohibit illegal immigrants from obtaining state or local retirement, welfare, health, disability, public housing, postsecondary education, food assistance or unemployment benefits. The measure is also backed by Attorney General Jon Bruning.

Critics of the bill say illegal immigrants already are prohibited under a 1996 federal law from receiving most state benefits. Heineman says the state can do a better job of verifying legal status and cites statistics from the Department of Labor that he says shows the potential for savings and that illegal immigrants may be tapping state benefits.

While unhappy about the committee's vote Thursday, Friend sounded Monday like he was ready to move on to other issues.

"When a bill gets killed, it gets killed," said Friend.

He said later: "If they want to revive it, I may talk to every one of them, but I won't tell them to revive this bill."

Bruning said Friday that the committee has become an embarrassment to the Legislature and is run by Ernie Chambers, a state senator from Omaha.

Chambers, one of just a couple minorities in the Legislature, has said both Heineman and Bruning are "riding a crest of racism" and using the bill for political gain at a time when anger over illegal immigration has aroused ugly racist sentiments.

Some members of the committee wonder whether the real reason for Heineman's support of the bill is that it would wipe out a new law that lets illegal immigrants receive in-state tuition. The 2006 measure, passed by lawmakers who overrode Heineman's veto, is aimed at the children of illegal immigrants brought to Nebraska by their families.

Although the veto didn't stick, Heineman used it to great advantage in his surprise victory in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary: Many voters said they chose Heineman over Tom Osborne, a sitting U.S. representative and wildly popular former Nebraska football coach, because Osborne supported the tuition bill.

The lawmaker who sponsored the tuition bill, DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln, said Monday she wouldn't question Heineman's motives or his angry denouncement of the committee's vote.

"I think he may have ruined his chances to lobby the Judiciary Committee by he and the attorney general lashing out at the committee," Schimek said.

"I don't think the committee's going to change it's mind," she added later.

Heineman said Monday that he is an optimist and believes the committee will change course.

On the Net:

Nebraska Legislature: http://www.nebraskalegislature.gov

A service of the Associated Press(AP)
http://www.beatricedailysun.com/article ... 66qe82.txt

here's an update?

Heineman: Illegal immigrants should not get state benefits Tell North Platte what you think
by George Lauby (North Platte Bulletin) - 3/3/2008

After a setback in the Legislature, Gov. Dave Heineman is continuing to try to stop illegal immigrants from receiving state and local welfare benefits.

With Heineman’s encouragement, Sen. Mike Friend of Omaha introduced a bill that would verify the legal immigration status of anyone applying for welfare. The Legislature's judiciary committee killed the bill last week.

Now, in a letter Heineman sent Monday to newspapers across Nebraska, he is asking the committee to reconsider its decision.

And, to show how the system would work, Heineman invites the media to demonstration of the federal government’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements March 5 in Lincoln.

Under the bill, anyone applying for benefits would sign an affidavit declaring they are either a U.S. citizen or a resident alien. Agencies would then check that information against a federal database. Applicants determined to be in the country illegally would be denied.

The bill would prohibit an illegal immigrant from obtaining state or local retirement benefits, welfare, health, disability, public housing, postsecondary education, food assistance, and unemployment benefits, Heineman said.

The bill would not impact K-12 education, emergency medical assistance and short-term emergency disaster relief, which are mandated to be provided to illegal immigrants by the federal government.

http://www.northplattebulletin.com/inde ... 6&pageID=3

Every time I see one of these stories I get very confused. With a laundry list like these of benefits, why is it I personally don't know a single person getting government help? The people I know who are poor are sleeping on people's couches, or quitting school to move in with their families. I have many friends who are trying to find jobs, or are severely underpaid, they don't have cars or they have junkers, and they say they'd love to go to a movie, watch cable TV or buy some new shoes but they can't afford it. No health care, no food stamps, no housing assistance, no ssi/disability (certainly not for drug addiction - how pathetic that is), no help at all (except for students - a pittance from financial aid if they are in school to help pay for classes. No jobs on campus for the work/study program either which was supposedly guaranteed and was figured into living expenses by the financial aid office). Some get some help from places like Manpower to look for jobs (no job retraining) - but I don't know anyone actually getting MONEY from anywhere. I swallowed my pride and went for some services (no real job for over a year) and all I qualify for is a sack of groceries every couple of weeks with some fruits and veg but also junk food that would ruin my health. For a few bucks, I can get much better food at the farmer's market - $1 a pound for most things. It's not worth traveling across town on a bus to pick up a bag of sweet rolls and white rice. Am I missing something? Why do I know so many poor people who don't get a dime in real money from all the taxes they paid in before?

Great question, sofedup. American benefits and government programs are just for U.S. citizens. If verification of citizenship is too much to ask, those with the problem shoul self-deport. It should be as casual as when we ask for proof of citizenship in order to work.