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!