Immigration bill on tap next week

March 1, 2008

The state legislature will resume discussion of its pending immigration bill this week, with a local legislative crusader against illegal immigration overseeing its final stage.

Three members each of the state House of Representatives and Senate will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday to try to resolve differences in their different versions of the immigration bill. Both chambers agree on a variety of measures to crack down on illegal immigrants through law enforcement, but disagree over the methods private employers should use to check the citizenship of new employees.

After the committee hashes out those differences, the compromise bill will return to both chambers for a vote. If it passes, it will go to Gov. Mark Sanford for a signature.

Among the six legislators entrusted with creating a compromise bill is state Rep. Thad Viers, R-Myrtle Beach.

"Thad has been a leader in the immigration debate," said House Speaker Bobby Harrell, who appointed Viers.

Many measures in the bill were introduced by Viers over the years, Harrell noted. Viers was also instrumental in helping form a Horry County chapter of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, an anti-immigration group that fights for reform and recruits volunteers to patrol the border.

Meanwhile, the Minuteman group is protesting what it calls the "weakening" of the bill, with a rally planned for noon on March 10 on the Capitol steps, according to its Web site.

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