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Levy amends immigration crackdown bill
Responding to criticism, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy has further amended his immigrant workers bill.
BY JAMES T. MADORE
Newsday Staff Writer

September 6, 2006


Responding to criticism, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy has further amended his immigrant workers bill to include stronger penalties for discrimination in hiring and protections for employers who act "in good faith" to verify that their staffs are eligible to work in the United States.

The changes were announced in the county legislature Tuesday as part of a hearing in which most of the 32 speakers urged lawmakers to defeat the measure. It is supported by construction-industry unions, which say contractors are hiring undocumented workers to avoid paying the prevailing wage. But business groups fear unfair prosecutions while immigrant advocates and ministers say racism will increase.

Later, Legis. Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D-Setauket), who opposes Levy's bill, said she would introduce a rival bill to require bidders for county contracts to comply with a 1986 federal law for worker verification, along with state and federal statutes governing wages and worker safety. Levy's resolution seeks to enforce the same federal verification rule but would affect all county contractors, including charities and town governments, not just private businesses, and calls for stiffer penalties.

Levy, a Democrat, rejected Viloria-Fisher's suggestion that he withdraw his bill in favor of hers. She plans to ask a legislative committee to postpone consideration of both resolutions until next month.

"What I'm proposing is more tailored to our authority as a county rather than the policing authority that the county executive wants," Viloria-Fisher said. "My bill would get us to the same place without stirring up the underlying animosity."

Levy saw no need "to water down my bill" to receive unanimous backing in the 18-member legislature, "when we already have a majority to pass the present bill."

Levy also downplayed the new amendments, saying the anti-discrimination clause simply restates what's already county law. "But if it allays some concerns without watering down our bill, fine," he said.

In addition, Levy has altered a sweeping fair-housing bill in response to concerns raised by housing-rights advocates and Legis. Ricardo Montano (D-Central Islip) and Elie Mystal (D-Amityville). The changes stipulate that transgendered individuals will be covered and clarifies when, and for what reason, a housing discrimination case is referred to the state Division of Human Rights.

Criticizing the division, Erase Racism of Syosset had pushed for greater involvement by a county-level Human Rights Commission, as Nassau County mandated last month in enacting a similar law. But yesterday, Erase president Elaine Gross said she was satisfied that the amended Suffolk bill was a "concrete step toward addressing housing discrimination."

The bill is expected to be voted upon by a legislative committee next week.

In other business, lawmakers unanimously approved bills sponsored by Majority Leader Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) to reform how the county names its buildings, parks and other facilities, and to require more recycling of computers and other electronic equipment by county agencies. "Technology is evolving so rapidly today, and more and more electronic equipment is simply thrown in the garbage without our knowing the potential harm that e-waste can cause," he said.

A spokesman for Levy said he will sign the recycling bill, but was still reviewing the naming bill