Thread: S.C.: Immigration legislation advances to House floor

Immigration legislation advances to House floor
Associated Press
Wednesday, January 23, 2008



COLUMBIA — Legislation intended to curb illegal immigration in South Carolina is headed to the House floor.

The lengthy proposal would require employers check the legal status of their workers, bar illegal adults from public assistance, outlaw sanctuary cities, and make it a felony to help someone into the country or avoid detection. Shelters for the homeless and battered women were exempted from the harboring provision.

The bill would also prevent illegal immigrants from buying guns and prohibit them from attending public colleges. Illegals could not receive state scholarships for private schools and would have to pay out-of-state tuition.

The bill, pushed by House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday after more than three hours of discussion, largely on technical wording.

House leaders contend their bill is more comprehensive than a similar Senate bill, passed by that chamber last year. Leaders expect the House to debate its bill on the floor next week.

www.charleston.net

Posted on Wed, Jan. 23, 2008
Rehashed proposal advances in House
Illegal immigrant bill OK'd by panel
By Zane Wilson
The Sun News
A bill aimed at making life uncomfortable for illegal immigrants and those who help or hire them received key approval by a House committee Tuesday and is headed for floor debate.

Debate will probably not come until next week, but if it mirrors the committee discussion it will be a long one.

The House Judiciary Committee spent nearly four hours hashing out points of the bill, mainly over technical legal wording, even though much of it is modeled after similar laws that were passed in Georgia and other states.

The Senate passed a similar bill last year, which the committee changed to its version of the proposal. That means that whatever the House passes must go back to the Senate to be reconsidered.

Immigration legislation is the top priority of lawmakers for the year. The House bill the committee worked on today was sponsored by Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, who peeked in the room occasionally during the discussion.

Most members say that only the federal government can fix the problem of illegal immigration, but that a state bill might help force the federal leaders to take action.

"We're not solving the problem," said Committee Chairman Jim Harrison, R-Columbia, when panel members argued at length over choice of words. Only the federal government can solve the problem, he said.

Choice of words was important in some places, some members said.

Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, successfully added a provision that people who are charged with a crime for "harboring," transporting or otherwise helping illegal aliens must have done so knowingly and with the intent to help them stay in the country illegally.

Making such assistance a felony is "a little scary for some of us," said Rep. Walt McLeod, D-Little Mountain.

"It's a real slippery slope out there," Stavrinakis said. "What if I'm feeding somebody at a soup kitchen?"

"What about a school bus driver?" asked Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton.

Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, asked taking a nanny home is a felony that a housewife should be punished for. Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, said if she knowingly hired an illegal immigrant as a nanny, she should be punished.

"That's the point," Smith said.

Rutherford said the bill looks like lawmakers are frustrated that they can't deport all the illegal immigrants, "so now we're going to turn on Americans and start locking them up."

Harrison said most people know who the bill is aimed at catching, and it does not include unsuspecting citizens.

McLeod was also upset about the provision forbidding entrance at any of the state's colleges to illegal immigrants, and making them ineligible for state scholarships at public or private colleges.

The provision will do "severe harm and damage" to the state's 21 private colleges, who depend on students with scholarships to stay afloat, McLeod said.

But Rep. Thad Viers, R-Myrtle Beach, said the bill is aimed at "those that should not be in this country in the first place."

McLeod tried to have the provision removed, but was voted down. A provision making state contractors and subcontractors responsible for checking the immigration status of employees also came under much discussion.

It would have withheld 10 percent of the contract price from them for not being able to prove all their workers were legal, but that was cut to 5 percent on a motion by Viers.



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Main points of bill
Illegal immigrants cannot go to public colleges or get state scholarships.

Most other services would be cut off to illegal immigrants, except those younger than 18.

Contractors for public agencies would have 5 percent of their pay withheld for hiring illegal immigrants.

Those arrested and put in jail must have their immigration status checked.

Harboring and transporting illegal immigrants with the intent to aid them in furthering their illegal status becomes a misdemeanor.

The state would seek repayment for jail or other services provided to illegal immigrants.


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