Article from Paper

Journal link for Senate vote on March 27, 2008 for SB 458

http://www.kslegislature.org/journals/2008/sj0327.pdf

Legislators at odds over amendments
Business worries temper
Tougher immigration bill

After five hours
of debate,
no vote had
been taken
BY JEANNINE KORANDA Eagle Topeka bureau

. TOPEKA — The Senate debated immigration reform late into the night Wednesday, defeating multiple attempts to take a tougher line on businesses.
Lawmakers rejected an amend¬ment by Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia, to restore the original bill's business provisions 27-12. The provisions were removed in a committee.
Reinserting business penalties and provisions such as requiring businesses to check new employ¬ees' work eligibility using the fed¬eral e-Verify system would harm the state's businesses, many law¬makers said.
"That is the underlying mentali¬ty with this bill_ You make a mis¬take, you close your doors for 10 days," said Sen. Karin Brownlee, R-Olathe, speaking against the amendment.

The federal verification system  had problems that meant eligi¬ble workers were disqualified from employment, argued Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita.
"It's a mandate that business¬es don't want," she said. Supporters of stiffer business penalties said leaving out those provisions just supported the status quo.
"We have become a magnet for illegals and will continue to do that until we put in place good policies," said Sen. Peggy Palmer, R-Augusta, who draft¬ed the original measure, now Substitute for Senate Bill 458.
The intent was not to harm businesses, she said.
Provisions in her original measure also would have blocked illegal immigrants from receiving public benefits or in-state tuition at state uni¬versities. It also would have required law enforcement offi¬cers to check the citizenship or immigration status of every person they detained.
"We cannot decide who comes into our country and who doesn't, but we can take the rewards away," Palmer said.

Jaime Oppenheimer/The Wichita Eagle

State Sen. Peggy Palmer drafted the original measure on immigration reform. "We cannot decide who comes into our country and who doesn't, but we can take the rewards away," Palmer said.

"We've been battered around because some people don't want to hurt the businesses. Neither do I. That is why the bill was written so carefully."

Sen. Peggy Palmer,
R-Augusta, supporting an amendment to return Senate Bill 458 to its original form,
including penalties for businesses that hire illegal immigrants 

"This amendment, which would take us back to the underlying bill, is the wrong direction to go. It doesn't help business, it hurts business. It doesn't help
America, it really hurts us."
Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, opposing the amendment

AT KANSAS.COM
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HOW THEY VOTED
In a 27-12 vote
Wednesday night, the Senate voted against return¬ing an illegal thmigration bill to its original version, rather than the version drafted by a committee that had the sup¬port of business groups.

A "yes" vote was a vote for the original version, which business groups opposed. A "no" vote was to keep the committee's version.

Jim Barnett, Emporia.
Les Donovan, Wichita.
Tim Huelskamp, Fowler.
Nick Jordan, Shawnee.
Phil Journey, Haysville.
Ralph Ostmeyer, Grinnell.
Peggy Palmer, Augusta.
Mike Petersen, Wichita.
Dennis Pyle, Hiawatha.
Mark Taddiken, Clifton.
Jim Barone, Frontenac. Democrat
Mark Gilstrap, Kansas City. Democrat

Voting no:

Barbara Allen, Overland Park.

Pat Apple, Louisburg.

Karin Brownlee, Olathe.

Terry Bruce, Hutchinson.

Pete Brungardt, Salina.

Jay Scott Emler, Lindsborg.

Carolyn McGinn, Sedgwick.

Steve Morris, Hugoton.

Roger Pine, Lawrence.

Roger Reitz, Manhattan.

Derek Schmidt, Independence.

Vicki Schmidt, Topeka.

Jean Schodorf, Wichita.

Ruth Teichman, Stafford.

Dwayne Umbarger, Thayer.

John Vratil, Leawood.

Susan Wagle, Wichita.

Dennis Wilson, Overland Park.

David Wysong, Mission Hills.

Julia Lynn, Olathe.  DID NOT VOTE same as "No" vote

Donald Betts, Wichita.

Marci Francisco, Lawrence.

Greta Goodwin, Winfield.

David Haley, Kansas City.

Anthony Hensley, Topeka.

Laura Kelly, Topeka.

Janis Lee, Kensington.

Chris Steineger, Kansas City.

amendment by Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, that would have phased in the use of e-Verify starting with state agencies and to include all Kansas businesses by 2011.
As of 10:30 p.m., the mea¬sure instead focused on increased penalties for employ¬
ment identify fraud, human trafficking and exploitation of illegal immigrants.
Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, introduced amendments that focused on those who transport illegal immigrants into the state to work and those who force ille¬gal immigrants to work to pay off a debt.
The measure already pro¬posed increased penalties for exploiting illegal immigrants though coerced labor; the amendment added the crime of "peonage."
The debt or threat of being turned in "is used as the ham¬mer held over the folks to put them into a situation of involuntary servitude," he said.
Senators narrowly approved an amendment that would block labor unions from col¬lecting membership dues from illegal immigrants.

The Senate was expected to vote on the reform bill late Wednesday but had not done so after five hours of debate.

The House is expected to debate its own illegal immigra¬tion reform bill, House substi¬tute for Senate Bill 329, today.

Reach Jeannine Koranda at 785-296-3006 or
jkoranda@wichitaeagle.com.