Thread: TX: Georgetown Votes For New Legal Immigration Work Proposal

Georgetown considers stricter immigration checks for city contractors
If approved, the move could be a first for the area and state.

By Bob Banta

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Georgetown officials are exploring ways to ensure that businesses that work for the city are not using undocumented workers, a potential first for the area and possibly the state.

The idea was proposed by Council Member Keith Brainard, who said cities should support federal immigration laws by requiring contractors to prove that their employees are in the U.S. legally.


Brainard said his proposal was triggered by the city's Dec. 11 approval of a contract with a local landscaping service to maintain parkland. The idea wasn't aimed at that particular contract, Brainard said, but the issue had been on his mind for some time.

"Illegal immigration is stressing our health care system, our educational system and, in some cases, our legal system," he said. "People who continue to violate our laws by being here illegally erode confidence in the law. Local governments should help police these things."

If Georgetown creates a policy specifically aimed at requiring contractors to prove the legality of their employees, it could be the first area city to do so. Round Rock, San Marcos and Austin don't have such rules, although Austin officials say some of their purchasing requirements could address illegal workers if necessary.

Byron Johnson, purchasing officer for the City of Austin, said the city has policies allowing it to audit a contractor's payroll records to determine whether the company is obeying anti-sweatshop laws and is paying adequate wages. He said the audits could be used to determine whether illegal immigrants are involved.

"We also require a contractor to obey all state and federal laws," Johnson said. "So, we do address those issues, but we don't require documents from these employers. If a city is going to buy a car from Ford Motor Co., do you require documentation from Ford on all their employees? That could pose a challenge."

Brainard said he understands the difficulty.

"It may come down to the fact that we could require proof from a contractor only to the extent possible," he said. "I don't want Georgetown to have to create a bureaucracy to handle this, but I do think we could establish some reasonable degree of evaluating a contractor on this issue."

City Manager Paul Brandenburg said that his staff is just beginning to study Brainard's request and could have a report for the council this month.

"We are checking nationally to see if any other cities have a policy like this, so we won't have to reinvent the wheel," Brandenburg said. "It may come down to having to write specific language into every contract with companies we hire to do everything from building roads to providing janitors. The next challenge will be who will enforce it."

Stephanie Hill, owner of the landscaping service that contracts with Georgetown, agrees with Brainard's proposal. She said her business checks applicants' documents to prove they are in the country legally.

"We also pay Social Security, workers' compensation, and everything else the government requires," said Hill, who has operated her business in Georgetown for five years.

She said Brainard's proposal could help businesses that follow the law because competitors that hire illegal immigrants could pay lower wages, omit federally required benefits and submit lower bids.

Officials with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a Washington-based arm of the Center for Community Change, said Georgetown's effort is the latest in a wave of campaigns that cities began last year to halt illegal immigration.

The Arizona Legislature last year passed a law that allows the state to suspend or revoke the license of a business if it is proved that the owner hired an illegal immigrant.

Another example, said Nicola Wells, a spokeswoman for FIRM, is an ordinance passed in May by the City Council of Farmers Branch, a Dallas suburb, that prohibits landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. A judge has blocked enforcement while the ordinance is being challenged in court.

"It appears ordinances involving city contractors are only a small part of that wave," said Wells, whose group lobbies for immigrants' rights. "I am aware of 10 to maybe 15 cities that have or are considering contractor ordinances. I don't know of any cities in Texas doing that so far."

There were 11.1 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. in 2005, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group. About 7.2 million were employed in March 2005, accounting for about 4.9 percent of the civilian labor force, according to the group. They made up a large share of all workers in some occupations, including 24 percent of employees in farming occupations, 17 percent in cleaning, 14 percent in construction and 12 percent in food preparation.

Bill Hammond, president and chief executive of the Texas Association of Business, said he isn't aware of any cities in Texas considering an ordinance similar to the one proposed in Georgetown. His group, which represents more than 3,000 Texas corporations and more than 200 chambers of commerce, is wary of placing too great an enforcement burden on employers, he said.

Until Congress passes immigration reform, state and local governments should stay out of a "federal matter," Hammond said.

"We would endorse a system that is foolproof and that employers could rely upon to verify the status of workers," he said. "But until that's done, it is inappropriate for a state or other area of government to get into the immigration enforcement business."

Michael Rollins, president of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, which promotes business development in the Austin area, including Williamson County, said the chamber has no position on Brainard's proposal.

But Paul Saldaña, chairman of the board of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said such an ordinance could have an adverse impact economically.

He said immigrants, legal or illegal, will be needed to do a variety of jobs and that differentiating between workers could diminish the $8 billion in buying power provided by all Hispanics in Williamson, Travis and Hays counties.

"The largest job growth we see is in construction jobs," Saldaña said. "Ninety-five percent of those jobs are occupied by both documented and undocumented workers."

Brainard said his proposal is not aimed at Hispanics.

"It is not country-specific," he said. "Our country and economy need immigrants. But we have to respect our borders and our laws."

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Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Texas City Considers Following Federal Law
by BigJolly

Times really are changing when a Georgetown city council member proposes a measure requiring business that contract with the city follow federal immigration laws.

Georgetown officials are exploring ways to ensure that businesses that work for the city are not using undocumented workers, a potential first for the area and possibly the state.

The idea was proposed by Council Member Keith Brainard, who said cities should support federal immigration laws by requiring contractors to prove that their employees are in the U.S. legally.

As we’ve noted often, the best, quickest and most effective way to stop the influx of illegal aliens into the U.S. is to stop hiring them. No jobs, no need to crawl across the desert or pay a coyote to smuggle you across. The outflow of illegals from Arizona is new proof of that concept.

[quote]“Illegal immigration is stressing our health care system, our educational system and, in some cases, our legal system,â€

Jan. 8, 2008, 1:22PM
Georgetown may require contractors to prove workers are legal




AUSTIN — The city of Georgetown is looking into ways to ensure businesses doing work for the city are not hiring illegal immigrants.

City Council member Keith Brainard proposed the idea, saying cities should support federal immigration laws by requiring contractors to prove their employees are in the United States legally.

Brainard said his proposal was triggered by the city's Dec. 11 approval of a contract with a local landscaping service to maintain parkland. The idea wasn't aimed at that particular contract, Brainard said, but the issue had been on his mind for some time.

"Illegal immigration is stressing our health care system, our educational system and, in some cases, our legal system," he said. "People who continue to violate our laws by being here illegally erode confidence in the law. Local governments should help police these things."

City Manager Paul Brandenburg said his staff is studying Brainard's request and could have a report for the council this month.

"We are checking nationally to see if any other cities have a policy like this, so we won't have to reinvent the wheel," Brandenburg said. "It may come down to having to write specific language into every contract with companies we hire to do everything from building roads to providing janitors. The next challenge will be who will enforce it."

Stephanie Hill, owner of the landscaping service that contracts with Georgetown, agrees with Brainard's proposal. She said her business checks applicants' documents to prove they are in the country legally.

"We also pay Social Security, workers' compensation, and everything else the government requires," said Hill, who has operated her business in Georgetown for five years.

She said Brainard's proposal could help businesses that follow the law because competitors that hire illegal immigrants could pay lower wages, omit federally required benefits and submit lower bids.

Officials with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a Washington-based arm of the Center for Community Change, said Georgetown's effort is the latest in a wave of campaigns that cities began last year to halt illegal immigration.

In May, the City Council of Farmers Branch near Dallas passed an ordinance that prohibits landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. A judge has blocked enforcement while the ordinance is challenged in court.

The Arizona Legislature last year passed a law that allows the state to suspend or revoke the license of a business if it is proved that the owner hired an illegal immigrant.

Nicola Wells, a spokeswoman for FIRM, which lobbies for immigrants' rights, said she is aware of 10 to 15 cities nationally that have or are considering contractor ordinances.

There were 11.1 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. in 2005, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group. About 7.2 million were employed in March 2005, accounting for about 4.9 percent of the civilian labor force, according to the group.

Bill Hammond, president and chief executive of the Texas Association of Business, said his group, representing more than 3,000 Texas corporations and more than 200 chambers of commerce, is wary of placing too great an enforcement burden on employers.

Until Congress passes immigration reform, state and local governments should stay out of a "federal matter," Hammond said.

__
http://www.chron.com

"LULAC Council 4721 requests that the Georgetown City Council table the creation of any anti-immigrant ordinance. Georgetown’s anti-immigrant ordinance is simply not needed."

The Georgetown City council should reply with the following language:

LULAC,

The Georgetown City Council has always supported the fair treatment of legal immigrants. Our proposal is to eliminate the magnets that draw illegals into our community in an efffort to seek employment.

Im sure you would agree the Federal Government has failed to keep this country safe from those who invade this country illegally. We are confident that LULAC also has the best interest of legal American Citizens at heart. We ask LULAC to support any effort this council adopts in order to protect every American Citizen in this community against the ravages of illegal immigration, not just those with hispanic heritage.

Regards,


Georgetown City Council

Originally Posted by NoBueno

"LULAC Council 4721 requests that the Georgetown City Council table the creation of any anti-immigrant ordinance. Georgetown’s anti-immigrant ordinance is simply not needed."

The Georgetown City council should reply with the following language:

LULAC,

The Georgetown City Council has always supported the fair treatment of legal immigrants. Our proposal is to eliminate the magnets that draw illegals into our community in an efffort to seek employment.

Im sure you would agree the Federal Government has failed to keep this country safe from those who invade this country illegally. We are confident that LULAC also has the best interest of legal American Citizens at heart. We ask LULAC to support any effort this council adopts in order to protect every American Citizen in this community against the ravages of illegal immigration, not just those with hispanic heritage.

Regards,


Georgetown City Council

Thats what I would have thought Bush would have said by now

We ask LULAC to support any effort this council adopts in order to protect every American Citizen in this community against the ravages of illegal immigration, not just those with hispanic heritage.


Very good !!!

I am almost afraid to read some of these stories about Texas for fear it will be some more nonsense like 'Texan of the Year'.

This is good news.

I am a little surprised, and glad, this is happening in Georgetown, though. It is so close to Austin -

There has definitely been a shift in attitudes towards illegals in Williamson County the last few months. People are fed up with illegals here.

What we need is for the politicians to stop making excuses and demand they enforce existing laws and have zero tolerance for illegals.