Thread: Now that Colorado has passed these new laws on illegal's

DCN, who sponsored the initiative, perspectives on the new bill(s):

Dear XXXXX:

As you know, the last month has been a roller-coaster. In June, the
Colorado Supreme Court twice denied The People of Colorado their right to
vote on whether their tax dollars are spent on those unlawfully in
Colorado. Governor Owens berated the Court for their obvious political
meddling and called a special legislative session that convened on July 6,
2006.

There were two options for the call: a narrow call to refer the initiative
to the ballot and a broad call that would include the possibility of a
legislative solution. For a number of reasons (see
http://www.defendcoloradonow.org/info/d ... ctive.html and
http://www.defendcoloradonow.org/info/l ... jul01.html ) we
supported the broad call with the understanding that if strong legislation
could not be passed, we would insist on referring the initiative to the
ballot.

Otto von Bismarck stated, "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see
them being made." Yet this intense, five-day session most assuredly was
worth observing. There were long intervals of hurry up and wait, followed
by moments of feverish activity and panic. It is unfortunate that more
immigration reform activists did not make the time to watch the session,
for those who aim to change politics need to understand and participate in
the process.

We commend Governor Owens who brought together two polarized political
parties on the issue - no easy task. Republicans generally supported the
original objective of DCN and pushed to refer the initiative to the ballot
for a vote in November. Democrats generally opposed the referral, but
indeed came to the table to pass immigration reform legislation.
Meaningful legislation was passed by both houses and we thank all who
voted for this legislation. We believe the legislation passed was the
best that could be obtained under the circumstances. Certainly it could
be better, but it is an excellent gain for immigration reform. We're much
better off than we were two weeks ago and we have results now, not a year
from now.

The nearly 50,000 signatures obtained for the DCN initiative clearly made
a difference. Both political parties heard The Peoples' voices - loud and
clear - and responded accordingly.

Below is a summary of bills passed by both houses. The governor has 30
days to sign the bills, except for two bills that go directly to the
voters.


HB (House Bill) 1023 - the most important reform bill to come out of the
session. This bill limits state services to illegal aliens and embodies
the essence of the DCN initiative and is similar to section 9 of the
strong Georgia bill passed this year (
http://www.defendcoloradonow.org/docs/2 ... a_bill.pdf
). HB 1023 denies most non-emergency services to illegal aliens over the
age of 18. Those seeking benefits must present valid Colorado, military or
tribal identification. Illegal aliens will continue to receive federally
mandated services, including K-12 education. The bill mandates use of the
federal SAVE program to determine eligibility for benefits, giving the
bill real teeth.

HB 1017 - another important bill that goes beyond the scope of the
original DCN initiative in that it requires employers to verify
immigration status of potential employees. It requires employers to
maintain copies of identification for new employees and authorizes random
inspections. It a good foundation toward necessary employer sanctions
against hiring illegal aliens, but it does not mandate use of the federal
Basic Pilot program to verify immigration status. We hope this serious
flaw will be corrected in the next legislative session.



HB 1001 - employers must demonstrate they don't have illegal alien workers
in order to qualify for state economic-development grants, loans and
incentives.

HB 1002 - state health officials must treat all persons, regardless of
immigration status, in the event of an epidemic or communicable-disease
outbreak.

HB 1009 - Colorado will deny business permits to illegal aliens.

HB 1014 - the state attorney general must seek reimbursement from the
federal government for all illegal-immigration costs incurred by the
state.

HB 1015 - a person who pays someone for services and reports the payment
on IRS form 1099-MISC must withhold state income taxes at the rate of 4.63
percent if the worker fails to provide a correct taxpayer ID number or
provides an IRS-issued taxpayer ID number issued for nonresident
immigrants.

HB 1020 - employers who cannot verify an employee is a legal U.S. resident
are prohibited from claiming that employee's wages as a deductible
business expense. This would apply to employees hired on or after January
1, 2008, and who were paid $600 or more in one year. THIS BILL IS REFERRED
DIRECTLY TO THE NOVEMBER BALLOT FOR VOTER APPROVAL.

HB 1022 - the state attorney general will sue or join with other states in
suing the federal government demanding “enforcement of all existing
federal immigration law” by the federal government. THIS BILL IS REFERRED
DIRECTLY TO THE NOVEMBER BALLOT FOR VOTER APPROVAL.

SB (Senate Bill) 4 - makes it a felony to extort services from illegal
aliens through threats based on their immigration status.

SB 5 - makes it a felony to coerce involuntary servitude by withholding or
destroying immigration documents or making threats based on person's
immigration status.

SB 6 - common-law marriage is restricted to people 18 years old and older.

SB 7 - makes it a felony for people to vote in an election in which they
are not entitled to vote.


DCN is pleased that two measures will be referred to the voters in
November to limit tax deduction for illegal alien wages and to demand
Colorado's Attorney General sue the federal government to demand
enforcement of federal immigration laws. These measures, although clearly
different from the Defend Colorado Now initiative, will win the
overwhelming support of Colorado voters in November.

For more information on bills, go to http://www.leg.state.co.us and then
go to the Bills sections under the House and Senate.

For information on the federal SAVE and Basic Pilot programs, see
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/services/SAVE.htm

DCN Press Release on the legislative session:
http://www.defendcoloradonow.org/press/ ... jul12.html


We thank you, The People of Colorado, who circulated and signed petitions.
You made the crucial difference in 2006 in Colorado.

If these women were forced to give a name for the father and his whereabouts (they would not get benefits if they do not) this would certainly go a long way in going after these men who have multiple children with multiple women in our country and we have to pay for it.