Omnibus bill would address immigrants

Governor wary of sending bad message to foreign businesses


By Tom Humphrey
Knoxville News Sentinel
Posted February 9, 2011 at 10:59 p.m.


NASHVILLE - Gov. Bill Haslam and some legislators are working to develop a single comprehensive bill dealing with immigration issues ranging from languages used for driver's license testing to enforcement provisions like those enacted in Arizona.

"We're having a lot of discussions," Haslam told reporters. "A lot of people have different ideas. I think we should have one very consistent message that addresses issues where there really are issues but doesn't send the wrong message."

At the governor's request, Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro on Wednesday postponed for two weeks a committee vote on a bill that, as drafted, calls for Tennessee driver's license exams to be given in English. The state currently offers written tests in Spanish, Japanese and Korean, and special arrangements can be made to accommodate other languages.

Ketron said he and other lawmakers are considering having various measures - including an amended version of the English-only driver's licensing bill - incorporated into one omnibus proposal dealing with immigration-related matters.

He said the "Tennessee Immigration Act of 2011" could also include legislation that requires businesses or government agencies to use an "e-verify" system to assure that a person applying for a job or benefits is in the country legally, as well as "an Arizona bill."

Arizona last year enacted a law allowing state and local authorities to enforce laws blocking illegal immigration that are usually left to the federal government. The measure cracks down on persons hiring, transporting or sheltering illegal immigrants.

The omnibus approach, said Ketron, would "send a single message" rather than having legislation "scattered out" in multiple bills moving through the General Assembly at the same time.

The senator said he has prepared an amendment to the "English-only" bill that would allow continued driver's license testing in other languages so long as the person taking the test provides verification that he or she has U.S. Department of Homeland Security permission to be in the United States - a work or student visa, for example. A bill with similar provisions was approved in the Senate last year but died in the House.

Ketron said he discussed the bill with Haslam, who asked whether the amended version would allow licensing of the wife and family of a Volkswagen executive who moves to Chattanooga to work in the German company's manufacturing plant under construction there. Ketron replied "absolutely," he said.

The Republican caucus chairman said considerably more discussion is expected, but he is optimistic that a comprehensive immigration bill will be developed.

"We're probably not going to do it unless the governor gives his blessing," he said.

On the driver's license bill, Haslam said he wants to assure that the state does not "send the wrong headline message out there across the country that Tennessee is not a place that's welcoming international business, because we are.

"What I want to make certain is that those businesses that have located here and anyone else who's here for a legal reason doesn't feel threatened by that in any way and doesn't decide to take their business anywhere else. We have a lot of Japanese businesses located here and a lot of German businesses, and we want to make sure we don't do anything to inhibit that."

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