State lawmakers introduce bills about immigration

By Andrew Denney
March 7, 2008

Columbia License Office assistant manager Jennifer Thompson checks Columbia resident Omar Alabdullatif's eyesight in February so he can renew his driver's license. The Columbia License Office is one of the many Missouri driver's license offices that would be affected by recently introduced legislation designed to stop those who cannot prove citizenship from obtaining driver's licenses.

Photo/Esten Hurtle

Columbia License Office assistant manager Jennifer Thompson checks Columbia resident Omar Alabdullatif's eyesight in February so he can renew his driver's license. The Columbia License Office is one of the many Missouri driver's license offices that would be affected by recently introduced legislation designed to stop those who cannot prove citizenship from obtaining driver's licenses.

Graphic/Megan Decker

(Click graphic to enlarge)

In recent weeks, Missouri lawmakers have brought the issue of illegal immigration to the forefront — an issue about which the federal government, some legislators said, has been slow to act.

During this session, more than a dozen bills regarding immigration have been proposed in the Missouri General Assembly.

The Senate Pension, Veterans Affairs and General Laws Committee heard five bills Wednesday regarding illegal immigrants.

Sen. Scott Rupp, R-St. Louis, said recent action on illegal immigration by Missouri and other states is part of an “outcry” against Washington lawmakers and their “failure to act” on the issue.

“When something becomes real important to the heartland, to the mom and pop of America, you know that a lot of states are already up in arms,” Rupp said.

Rupp is sponsoring a bill that would strip business licenses from companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Language within the bill would also prohibit illegal immigrants from attending public universities in Missouri.

The committee also discussed bills Wednesday that would require applicants for public benefits to show proof of citizenship and residence before receiving any awards and a bill that would deny illegal immigrants issuance of driver’s licenses.

Sen. Chris Koster, D-Harrisonville, proposed legislation last month that would require employers to use the E-Verify program. The program, which is offered and maintained by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is an electronic database that allows employers to verify a job applicant’s Social Security number and other pertinent application data.

Koster spokesman Webster Cash said the bill would be the best way to monitor the hiring practices of Missouri businesses.

“We think one of the best ways to reduce illegal immigration and get things back on a level playing field is to concentrate on employers that hire illegal immigrants,” Cash said.

In the House on Wednesday, Rep. Gary Dusenberg, R-Blue Springs, proposed legislation that would require persons sending money to foreign countries to prove their citizenship.

Rep. Bruce Darrough, D-Florissant, who serves on the House Special Committee for Immigration, said the committee did not accept the bill in its current form.

“What if a mother wants to send her 15-year-old boy to pay the electric bill?” Darrough said. “Now, he has to prove he’s a U.S. citizen.”

Republican Majority Whip Brian Nieves, R-Washington, said the bill would need “some fine tuning” before being introduced to the House.

Last month, lawmakers in the House also introduced several pieces of legislation regarding immigration. Like in the Senate, measures requiring employers’ use of E-Verify and restricting illegal immigrants from obtaining driver’s licenses have been introduced.

Rep. Neal St. Onge, R-Ballwin, introduced legislation last month that would require commercial driving tests to be in English. He said the legislation is being introduced as a safety issue.

“If you can’t read English, how can you read a warning sign on the road that says ‘accident ahead’?” Onge said.

Gov. Matt Blunt has also taken actions on the issue of illegal immigration. Last month, when Congress was still deliberating the economic stimulus act, Blunt asked the Missouri Congressional Delegation to work to ensure that illegal immigrants would not receive tax rebates from the measure.

Illegal immigration was not mentioned in Blunt’s State of the State address in past years, but this year he said the issue “makes a travesty of the rule of law.”

“Those who favor an open border and welfare benefits for illegal immigrants say that Missouri doesn’t have a problem with illegal immigration,” Blunt said in the address on Jan. 15. “Tell that to skilled carpenters or electricians who cannot get work because illegals are being exploited and doing the job for a pittance.”

Missouri State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, who is running in this year’s gubernatorial race to fill Blunt’s position, testified Wednesday in support of Rupp’s bill and provided evidence from the Pew Hispanic Center that indicates illegal immigrants are costing the state funds in the form of tax revenues.

“The hiring of illegal workers not only costs Missourians jobs, it cheats Missouri taxpayers,” Steelman said. “It is time that we put a stop to it.”

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