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Next Page1| 2Previous PageFRANKFORT, Ky. — The Senate approved controversial legislation Friday that would expand the state's authority to enforce federal immigration law, sending it to the House wher

Posted by james c. cochran on January 7, 2011 at 6:07pm
Next Page1| 2Previous PageFRANKFORT, Ky. — The Senate approved controversial legislation Friday that would expand the state's authority to enforce federal immigration law, sending it to the House where it faces uncertain prospects at best.The vote on Senate Bill 6 was 24-14, with all Republicans voting yes and all Democrats except Sen. Ray Jones of Pikeville voting no.Most Democrats warned that the cost of the bill for state and local governments has not been determined — and they said that cost will be big.But the bill's sponsor, Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, said the growing problem of illegal immigration is an urgent threat to the safety of Kentuckians.“We must protect our citizens, even if it's inconvenient, uncomfortable or too costly to do so,” Schickel said.House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said after the Senate vote that in his chamber SB 6 has “a lot of hills to climb. Aside from the policy issues involved, there's a concern about the fiscal impact of the bill.”The measure includes provisions that authorize police to attempt to determine a person's immigration status if he or she is stopped for another reason, such as a traffic violation, and is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.It also bans communities from adopting ordinances to limit immigration enforcement, creates the offense of trespassing for those in the state without legal status and makes it a crime for anyone to assist such a person in coming to live in the state.The bill is modeled on a controversial Arizona law, the enforcement of which was blocked last summer by a federal judge.Among other things, that law requires state officers to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws and mandates that immigrants carry their papers at all times.Supporters of the Kentucky bill said at a packed Senate committee hearing on Thursday that illegal immigrants are driving up the costs of such things as emergency medical care and other community services.Opponents, including the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, said it offers only punitive measures with no solutions for law-abiding undocumented immigrants.(2 of 2)“Not only does it do nothing to repair the damage we suffer because federal lawmakers failed to act (on the problem), it damages the social fabric of our Kentucky community,” the Catholic Conference said in a statement Friday.In the Senate on Friday, it was the cost issue that was the main point raised by Democrats who opposed the bill.Senate Democratic Floor Leader R.J. Palmer of Winchester unsuccessfully tried to delay the vote on SB 6 because he said it did not carry a thorough fiscal impact statement, as required by Senate rules.However, Majority Leader Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said a legislative staff analysis of the impact on the corrections systems for the original version of SB 6 was sufficient to meet the Senate's rules.Still, Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, said passing the bill would lead to higher costs for jails, local law enforcement, courts, and social service agencies.“It's one of the most fiscally irresponsible things we can do this session,” she said.Sen. Jerry Rhoads, D-Madisonville, said the bill is “actually a much harsher, stricter bill than the Arizona bill.”Jones said he voted for the bill because illegal immigration is a serious problem that should be addressed this session. But he also warned that the bill carries an undetermined cost.“And it's going to take money out of higher education, it's going to take money out of elementary and secondary education, it's going to take money from state police, it's going to take money from our local governments,” Jones said.But Schickel said the bill would also reduce certain costs now being paid.“Think of the fiscal impact of what we are doing now ... filling up our emergency rooms with people that are illegal aliens and have no insurance, the fiscal impact of people being illegally in our schools,” he said.Sen. Tom Jensen, R-London, said that despite his reservations about some details in the bill, it represents an important step in addressing a serious problem.“What this bill really does is send a message,” Jensen said. “It sends a message to the rest of our country and to foreign countries that we do not tolerate people coming into this country illegally.”Next Page1| 2Previous Page
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  • Douglas John Howard January 8, 2011 at 11:36am

    Seriously James.

    The point is to contact your State Senate. Do something while you can.

    30-60 thousand in the STATE?. I wish we ONLY had that many in the CITY I live in!

  • james c. cochran January 8, 2011 at 8:43am

    there is a 10.2% jobless rate in ky. there is an estimated 30 to 60 thousand illegal (aliens) in the state. the impact on our system was in 2010 estimated at 67 to 117 mil.

  • Douglas John Howard January 8, 2011 at 12:02am

    I mentioned to Stop legitimizing them by referring to the as Immigrants.

    I failed to point out that IMMIGRANTS ARE U.S. CITIZENS.

    Immigration applicants are Legal Resident Aliens until they complete the immigration process and are sworn in, then they are also U.S. Citizens.

  • Douglas John Howard January 7, 2011 at 11:52pm

    James,

    Good article.

    I am in California and have not looked at this Bill in your State, but I would like to make an offering if I may.

    I do not know if you can contact your legislators, but you should try.

     

    Here are some points you might try to discuss.

     

    First Remember that these are NOT U.S. Citizens we are talking about, nor are they Legal-Resident Aliens.They are Citizens of some Foreign Nation who have entered our Nation by Stealth! STOP LEGITIMIZING THEM BY REFERRING TO THEM AS IMMIGRANTS IN ANY MANNER!!!

     

    This is no better than if I were to sneak into your home and set up camp in your own front room. Should I then have any legitimate grounds to claim property rights?

     

    What is the level of unemployment in your State? What is that unemployment costing on a month by month basis?

    Approximately how many persons of Foreign Extraction are currently living and working illegally within your State?

    With the Undocumented Aliens removed from the equation, what would become the "job opportunities" for your State's unemployed U.S. Citizen population?

     

    How many children of Undocumented Foreign Citizen parents are currently attending your schools? What does it cost to educate them? What would be the savings if they were not allowed to occupy space they are not entitled to be in this Nation to occupy.

     

    As Citizens of a Foreign Nation they are entitled only to decent treatment as Human Beings. Decently identify them and remove them from our society.

     

     

    To avoid any possibility of appearing to be discriminatory, require that ALL adults have in their possession a Valid State Issued Photo I.D. or a Valid Driver's License, or Out Of State Equivalent.

    Assure that All State Issued Photo I.D.'s and Driver's Licenses are issued ONLY to U.S. Citizens or that it is clearly indicated that the Holder is a Legal-Resident Alien with the appropriate Authorization Dates and Federal Documentation clearly referenced.

     

    Include Biometric Data: D.O.B, a physical description, AND a FINGERPRINT! Also tie it in to a central database where this information can be retrieved for on-the-spot comparison. This can be done with the Card Number, but can also be done through a magnetic strip system such as is on the back of most credit cards in use today.

    Make the proof of I.D. concept UNIVERSAL, All persons stopped for an infraction must show Valid Proof of I.D. Minors will need to provide a parent or guardian with the proper proof of I.D.

    Any failing to have or present the required I.D. could then be held for further processing and reference to other authority as needed.

     

    NOT ONE WORD ABOUT ILLEGALS, ALIENS, OR ANY OTHER SPECIFIC SUSPECT COMMUNITY OR ETHNICITY!

     

    Then, Employers could be required to obtain similar information using the same State Issued Photo I.D. and to show proof that they have done so or suffer the possible consequences for fraudulent business practices, ETC.

     

    I am sure there is more that I have not thought of just now, but this could be a good start.

     

    GOOD LUCK

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