Thread: TEXAS REP Proposed Amnesty to Illegals in TX

A freshman lawmaker from Austin has proposed creating a guest worker program in Texas.

While other Republican members of the Legislature are sponsoring measures to punish business owners who hire undocumented workers or push for law enforcement agencies to identify people who are in the country illegally, Republican Rep. Paul Workman said he would rather try to tackle the bigger issue.

"There are millions of people living amongst us," he said. "The vast majority are just honest, hardworking people."

Workman, who filed House Bill 2886 on Thursday, said the federal government has not dealt appropriately with illegal immigration, which is supposed to be its responsibility.

Workman, who owns a construction company, said the proposed Texas Immigration Reconciliation Act also would help fill the needs of Texas businesses and serve as a way to collect more taxes to "pay for services provided."

Workman's bill would offer undocumented immigrants the opportunity to apply for resident alien cards. The card, which would be valid only in Texas, would cost $4,000 — what he estimated a human smuggler, or coyote, would charge to bring someone across the border. The card would be valid for eight years and would require the applicant to pass criminal background checks.

The bill also gives employers a defense against federal charges, and it says that employers must provide the workers the same benefits they offer other employees. Workman also said in his bill that employers must give hiring preference to Americans or other legal residents.

The bill is intended to bridge the philosophical gap that he has heard in the Capitol and in his district, he said. Some people want to expel all undocumented immigrants, while others want to let illegal residents become citizens.

Neither of those options is practical, he said.

Workman said his measure is "about bringing people out of the shadows. It's about dealing with the millions of people that are here."

He admitted that a state-run guest worker program would come with its share of constitutional issues. "I'm sure the feds are going to blow a gasket," Workman said.

One potentially sticky point would be immigrants' taxes. If the bill becomes law, the taxes that would have been paid to the federal government would be sent to the state instead, Workman said.

He said he hopes the state attorney general's office would take on his fight. Representatives from Attorney General Greg Abbott's office didn't respond to questions.

Bill Hammond, the president of the Texas Association of Business, said that the federal government probably wouldn't allow the state to adopt such a bill, but he said he'd be supportive of a measure that would help to meet the labor needs of employers.

"It's in response to the failure of the federal government to enact comprehensive immigration reform," Hammond said.

At least one other state, Utah, has considered similar legislation. The Utah bill has passed both of the state's legislative chambers and is being considered by the governor.

Workman said his bill has been in the works for a while and was not inspired by any other legislation.

Link: http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-...d-1312796.html
Sounds like the guy wants to keep his dirt cheap labor forces instead of paying a decent wage to American Workers!

Throw this bum out!

Another Rino

Workman's bill would offer undocumented immigrants the opportunity to apply for resident alien cards. The card, which would be valid only in Texas, would cost $4,000 — what he estimated a human smuggler, or coyote, would charge to bring someone across the border. The card would be valid for eight years and would require the applicant to pass criminal background checks.

Where is the lawsuits for all of those States creating and passing immigration laws? Arizona was sued, why not all the other States?

did anyone beside me notice the story where it said the Representative who introduced the bill also owns a construction company. could this be a hint that his company might have some illegals working there

Workman, who owns a construction company, said the proposed Texas Immigration Reconciliation Act also would help fill the needs of Texas businesses and serve as a way to collect more taxes to "pay for services provided."

Originally Posted by jamesw62

did anyone beside me notice the story where it said the Representative who introduced the bill also owns a construction company. could this be a hint that his company might have some illegals working there

Workman, who owns a construction company, said the proposed Texas Immigration Reconciliation Act also would help fill the needs of Texas businesses and serve as a way to collect more taxes to "pay for services provided."

I did, it is important to the article, the guy wants SLAVE Labor to continue!

Throw his butt out of office....

Originally Posted by Pisces_2010

Workman's bill would offer undocumented immigrants the opportunity to apply for resident alien cards. The card, which would be valid only in Texas, would cost $4,000 — what he estimated a human smuggler, or coyote, would charge to bring someone across the border. The card would be valid for eight years and would require the applicant to pass criminal background checks.

Where is the lawsuits for all of those States creating and passing immigration laws? Arizona was sued, why not all the other States?

Great question! I suspect there will be no lawsuits from this administration in respect to Utah or any other state that passes similar legislation and the reason is simple. The law in Utah rewards illegal invaders, while the law in Arizona simply mimicked federal law; law which the federal government does not want to enforce, let alone anyone else. It’s really that simple.

Using the same legal analysis to file suit against Arizona should also apply to Utah for the same reason. But I would be shocked to see obummer haul Utah, or any other state that passes similar, favorable legislation on behalf of illegal invaders.

Workman, who owns a construction company, said the proposed Texas Immigration Reconciliation Act also would help fill the needs of Texas businesses and serve as a way to collect more taxes to "pay for services provided."

I would call this a conflict of interest, especially since the construction industry is a large abuser of our immigration laws.

Anyone that can't see through his agenda needs their head examined.

You can have 25 politicians who have the right idea and the right plan but you will always have one who's head is stuck up so far he needs a proctologist to get it back into the daylight.

Originally Posted by Pisces_2010

Workman's bill would offer undocumented immigrants the opportunity to apply for resident alien cards. The card, which would be valid only in Texas, would cost $4,000 — what he estimated a human smuggler, or coyote, would charge to bring someone across the border. The card would be valid for eight years and would require the applicant to pass criminal background checks.

Where is the lawsuits for all of those States creating and passing immigration laws? Arizona was sued, why not all the other States?

Well if Arizona's law is ruled unconstitutional in the end under the only possible ruling that immigration is a state matter the same exact ruling can be used to throw down the guest worker programs as well. File a suit against the state and a federal waiver wouldn't mean crap as a ruling would mean federal law would have to be changed to allow it and not just a get out of jail free waiver card.

The Obama administration is digging a deeper hole however as they argued immigration is a federal matter when its anti illegal immigrant but when its pro illegal immigrant they shut up. Now if only we could get an honest word out to the mainstream sheeple come the next election heh.

Originally Posted by dregerk

I did, it is important to the article, the guy wants SLAVE Labor to continue!

Throw his butt out of office....

Workman, who owns a construction company, said the proposed Texas Immigration Reconciliation Act also would help fill the needs of Texas businesses and serve as a way to collect more taxes to "pay for services provided."

Amnesty is part of a never ending cycle. If illegals get amnesty then they
will work for minumum wage(at the very least) have workmans comp,
unemployment, 40 hr work weeks with time-and-a-half for overtime, and
pay taxes all of which will come out of the employer's pocket. The then
legal invividuals will no longer be appealing to employers who will start
looking for a new batch of illegals and the cycle continues.


We don't need legislation for amnesty, we need legislation to go after the
employers of illegals in order to stop the cycle which is as dregerk said,
slave labor .

Def