Posted on 05/18/2008 6:38:56 AM PDT by kellynla
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo -- Missouri lawmakers gave final approval Friday to a bill that adds new restrictions and requirements for illegal immigrants, the cities in which they live and the businesses that employ them.
The bill would require people to prove they are U.S. citizens or are legally in the country when applying for food stamps, housing and other public benefits; penalize businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants; order the Missouri State Highway Patrol to seek special federal immigration training; and bar Missouri cities from refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
The measure also allows fines of up to $50,000 for some employers who misclassify their workers as "contractors" instead of "employees." It would apply to businesses with at least five employees performing public works. When workers are contractors, employers don't have to pay withholding taxes, provide other benefits or take responsibility if the worker is an illegal immigrant.
The House approved the measure 136-12 on Friday; the Senate followed suit with a 27-7 vote, sending it to Republican Gov. Matt Blunt, who has made passing the legislation a priority.
He said Friday that lawmakers had passed "an extraordinarily strong bill."
Blunt has used his executive powers to enact several policies targeting illegal immigrants. The Highway Patrol, for example, has identified 250 illegal immigrants since late last summer while acting under Blunt's directive to check the immigration status of everyone it arrests.
The Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center estimates from U.S. census data that 35,000 to 65,000 illegal immigrants live in Missouri _ roughly the equivalent of the population of Cape Girardeau or St. Charles. But Missouri is projected to have less than 1 percent of the 12 million people estimated to be in the United States illegally.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
ping
We can only hope the rest of the states will follow. Now, I wish I were back in St. Charles!
Common sense makes a comeback in Missouri.
Wow! I wonder how far this will go in making KC not be so dangerous?
Missouri Ping!
And my son could only get $10 worth of food stamps a month as he was dying from breast cancer. And he was a U.S. citizen, whose parents were U.S. citizens.
Sorry to hear that. My sympathy goes out to you.
There’s a lot of issues surrounding this subject that make me angry at our officials.
Passing a law saying that they will enforce the law!
How DARE they?
I have NEVER seen a clearer sign of bigotry and prejudice and carbon footprint and hating puppies in my ENTIRE LIFE!
WHAT is this nation coming to when a perfectly innocent hard-working person of some color or other cannot sneak across our borders and take money from the taxpayers?
I weep, WEEP for this nation!
First Oklahoma, now Missouri. Arkansas ping?
The revolt against the federal ineptitude has to start from within.
I fully expect some kind of constitutional challenge to block the bill when signed into law.
But being a proud Missourian, I see first hand what those illegals are bringing with them. They’re bringing trouble.
The people who support illegal aliens are tricky about this. The benefits that they're talking about are FEDERAL benefits. The problem is that it's the states that wind up providing the benefits.
Mark
Low volume ping list
FReepmail me to be on, or off, this list.
Go Missouri go!
Oh noes! La Raza might boycott the whole state, instead of just KC.
Thanks Mark. I think that’s a valid observation. I do know that there has been a vast smoke and mirrors effort leveled to defend the indefensible.
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