SALT LAKE CITY -- Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, has a new proposal to fix Utah’s illegal immigration problem.
Standing as one of the strong opponents to House Bill 116, the comprehensive immigration law that was passed in the 2011 session, Herrod has been working for the last 12 months to find an alternative that sits better with him.
The bill would dramatically alter H.B. 116, changing the guest worker program created by the law that goes into effect on July 1, 2013 — regardless of approval from the federal government — to a pilot program that would not go into effect until the President of the United States signs a law that grants Utah the authority to start such a program.
The proposed bill also narrows the scope of who would be allowed to participate in the pilot program for undocumented workers. Only families with children of a certain age, depending on where the child was born, would be allowed to participate.
The pilot program is also designed to benefit those who have an expired visa and wish to stay in the country. Those who have come into the country illegally could participate in the pilot program for one year, but would have to leave the United States at the end of the year.
The bill also brings back some of the tough enforcement provisions that some in the Legislature sought in the 2011 session. It would allow local law enforcement officials to detain those they suspect of being in the country illegally and would withhold state money from law enforcement agencies that choose to not comply with enforcing immigration laws.
Where the bill goes from here appears to be unknown at this time. Some lawmakers are ready to take action on the immigration issues, while others are looking to stay away from the issue in this session.
“It is hard to tell right now,” House Speaker Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, said when asked what she thought would happen with the immigration issue this year. “It is probably simmering.”
Senate Republicans have decided to stay away from tackling the issue at the moment. Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, said the GOP caucus in the Senate has discussed various immigration policy ideas since the last session but has come up with no consensus on any of the proposals.
“For now, we are going to wait for the House to send us something and we’ll go from there,” Jenkins said.
No comments:
Post a Comment