Posted on 05/31/2010 4:16:32 PM PDT by Libloather
Immigration bill fails in state Legislature
by Jeremy Alford / Houma Courier
wwltv.com
Updated yesterday at 4:01 PM
BATON ROUGE — A lawmaker who represents portions of Terrebonne, Assumption and St. Mary parishes again called on the state Legislature to crack down on illegal immigrants because the “federal government isn’t doing its job.”
And once again, Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, watched his efforts crash and burn before they got off the ground.
His House Bill 1205, which would have forced local and state governments to confirm the citizenship status of people applying for certain public benefits, was withdrawn from consideration by Harrison Thursday in the face of stiff opposition from the House Judiciary Committee.
Lawmakers complained that Harrison’s legislation would have led to racial profiling, additional costs and controversy.
Arizona, for example, just passed immigration laws that stirred a still-raging national debate.
As one Crescent City legislator pointed out during the debate, Louisiana would be criticizing the federal government after all the hurricane aid it sent here in recent years and all the oil-spill recovery dollars that are likely to come.
“I just don’t like it when we start injecting what I see as sort of meaningless language into our laws and pointing the finger at the federal government and then asking them to give us money,” said Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans.
Harrison was quick to defend himself and explained why he called his bill the “Louisiana Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2010” and exactly who he believes it would benefit.
“This is not the federal government’s money,” Harrison said. “It is taxpayers’ money, regardless of where or what political entity holds those funds.”
(Excerpt) Read more at wwltv.com ...
Katrina is officially history.
What do you expect from the ultimate gimmmmie state.
They can’t do controversy right now. They need to feds to help with the clean up. As it is, Obama is just looking for an excuse to turn his back on them.
N'awlins needs to stick with coming up with ways of milking the U.S. taxpayers. They've got that stuff down.
Apparently they have not yet realized that all government money is theirmoney. Or, rather, taxpayer’s money.
Someday, some sweet day, it will occur to them.
We? That was YOU?
Passing an immigration bill like the one we passed here in Arizona takes a lot of testicular fortitude and a very thick skin.
HATS OFF - to you and yours! (Hang on tight. The excrement may not have hit the fan - yet.)
I meant “we” in the sense that “they” won the Super Bowl. LOL!
Sorry, I don't blame them here, and I'm from AZ and would love to have over 25 states joining us.
Federal funding should be considered a return of taxpayers money. The Feds use it as their own to force states to do what the Fed wants. I do not blame Louisiana. Louisiana is a dependent state constantly in need of a Fix.
I don't know about you, but I think there is a giant realignment coming in the very near future. The states are getting fed up.
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