Robles bill clears committee

By David Montero

The Salt Lake Tribune

First published 1 hour ago
Updated 1 hour ago Updated Feb 23, 2011 06:56PM
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A pilot program carried by a senate Democrat that would allow undocumented immigrants to register, live and work in Utah squeaked through a committee hearing Wednesday, now setting it up for a difficult fight on the Senate floor.

Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City, saw SB60 pass by a 3-2 vote in front of a packed hearing room — complete with a bomb-sniffing dog and heightened security after she received a threatening phone call last week.

Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain, was the swing vote and appeared uncertain as to how he would vote until the last minute. He said he wanted to make sure the debate Robles started — moving away from an enforcement-only, punitive approach to illegal immigration — continued to have a voice in the process.

But he was conflicted, admitting that he had serious reservations about the bill in its current form.

“I’m going to vote for this because I want to see robust discussion on this,â€