By The Associated Press
The Oklahoma House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a bill targeting illegal immigrants that would block their access to jobs and state benefits.

The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, by Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, now faces an uncertain fate in the Oklahoma Senate, where several anti-immigration bills died last month in committee for lack of action.

The vote was 88-9 for the bill, which House members said was needed because the federal government had failed to tackle the contentious issue.

Some lawmakers who voted for the bill said they were complying with the wishes of their constituents to do something about illegal immigration, but complained the measure had racial overtones.

Rep. Glenn Bud Smithson, D-Sallisaw, said he was voting for the bill, but hoped he would not look back on his vote with shame.

"We have a history of treating people bad and regretting it later," said Smithson, recalling broken treaties with American Indians, the treatment of blacks in a segregated society and denial of the right to vote to women for much of the nation's history.

Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, said illegal immigration "will lead to the destruction of America" if it is not checked.

He called undocumented workers "criminal invaders."

In a statement, House Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah, said illegal immigration is a hidden tax on Oklahoma families. "It is costing us hundreds of millions of dollars a year," he said.

But other House members argued that undocumented workers pay taxes and help the economy by filling low-income jobs.

Rep. David Braddock, D-Altus, said a guest worker program such as one once proposed by President Bush should be put in place by the federal government.

The bill would repeal a 2003 state law that allows illegal immigrants to get in-state tuition if they graduate from high school in Oklahoma after two years of attendance. Officials say 244 students are attending college under that program.

It would restrict eligibility for state driver's licenses to citizens and legal immigrants, require state and local agencies to verify citizenship and immigration status of applicants for benefits and require public employers to tap into an electronic employment verification system.

Private employers could voluntarily use the database operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to determine work eligibility.

The bill would create a fraudulent document division at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to investigate instances where illegal immigrants get phony documents.

Some lawmakers quoted biblical scripture in opposing the bill.

Rep. Shane Jett, R-Tecumseh, quoted a passage in Exodus when God told Jews not to "vex a stranger nor oppress him" and to remember that they were once foreigners in Egypt.

"We should not villianize and certainly not criminalize their desire to improve themselves," said Jett, who was not in the chamber when the vote was taken after 3 1/2 hours of consideration.

Terrill said opponents used overheated claims to try to sidetrack the measure. "I think we've got a great bill," he said.

He said illegal immigration is a growing problem that poses both economic and national security risks.

http://www.newsok.com/article/3023420