Thread: IN: Two see problems with bill punishing businesses employin

Two see problems with bill punishing businesses employing illegal immigrants

Updated: March 2, 2008 09:05 PM PST




Business owners who knowingly hire an illegal immigrant could face stiff penalties as part of a bill moving through the State House. The bill has made it through both houses and is now heading to a conference committee. If passed, business owners could have their license revoked for hiring illegal immigrants.

Two local Democrats say they have concerns about the bill in its current form. "We had a lot of people from our local area testifying against that and calling and asking us to oppose that bill due to the fact that the penalties were quite harsh," said State Representative Sheila Klinker, D, Lafayette.

Klinker and State Representative Joe Micon say they both voted against the immigration bill. They agree with several parts of the bill, but they do not think businesses should be shut down if an illegal immigrant is working there.

"I've said all along, if the bill came to a final vote and it still penalized hard working law abiding citizens for something their employers did illegally that I would vote against the bill," said Representative Micon. "And it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me to put literally thousands of people out of work if just one employee at that business was hired illegally by an employer."

"Perhaps you find an illegal alien whose e-verification was mistaken or didn't come through properly. It's only forty five percent correct. That's not much of a percentage to base that on," said Klinker.

The bill will now move on to a conference committee. After that, it will need to pass both the House and the Senate one more time. Micon says he would reconsider his vote if the penalties against businesses are changed. He says he would have easily voted for the bill if it simply provided civil penalties or criminal penalties to employers who hire undocumented workers.

http://www.wlfi.com/Global/story.asp?S= ... =menu591_3

WELL THIS IS INCENTIVE FOR EMPLOYEES TO REPORT ILLEGAL CO WORKERS. THE BUSINESS IS NOT CLOSED THE FIRST TIME....JUST SUSPENDED. AND I THINK THE EMPLOYER SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PAY OTHER EMPLOYEES DURING THE SHUT DOWN. IF THE COMPANY VIOLATES A SECOND TIME THEN ALL OF THEIR ASSETS SHOULD BE SPLIT UP AND GIVEN TO THE LEGAL EMPLOYEES WHO LOSE THEIR JOBS SO THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO GET BY ON TILL THEY FIND ANOTHER JOB. WHAT IF SWIFT WOULD HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN AND THEIR ASSETS SEIZED AND GIVEN THE THE LEGAL EMPLOYEES WORKING THERE? THEY WOULD ALL HAVE QUITE A NEST EGG TO GET RE STARTED. SOME MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO OPEN A SMALL BUSINESS.