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Haslam working with Republicans on illegal immigration bill
Gov. Bill Haslam said Wednesday he is working with Republican state lawmakers to develop comprehensive legislation to combat illegal immigration in Tennessee.
The omnibus bill — expected to be introduced within the month — would include an Arizona-style crackdown authorizing this state’s law officers to enforce immigration law, legislators said.
Business leaders immediately signaled they might oppose some, if not all, of the legislation because of fears it could stifle the state’s economy and complicate hiring practices.
Haslam said he shared some of the concerns of businesses. Specifically, he said he would support so-called English-only drivers’ license exams only if the legislation allowed the state to give the tests in other languages to families from other countries who are here legally under work or student visas.
“What I want to make certain is that those businesses that have located here and anyone else who’s here for a legal reason doesn’t feel threatened by that in any way and doesn’t decide to take their business anywhere else,” Haslam told reporters after appearing at a luncheon for business leaders at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel. “We have a lot of Japanese businesses located here and a lot of German businesses, and we want to make sure we don’t do anything to inhibit that.
“I want to be real specific about what we’re trying to do,” he added. “If we want to make certain that only folks who should get drivers’ licenses are getting drivers’ licenses, we want to do that. But we don’t want to send the wrong headline message out there across the country that Tennessee is not a place that’s welcoming to international business because we are.”
Regarding his meetings with lawmakers on the omnibus bill, Haslam said, “We’re having a lot of discussions. A lot of people have different ideas. I think we should have one very consistent message that addresses issues where there really are issues but doesn’t send the wrong message. So we’re having those conversations.”
Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, said the comprehensive bill also could include requiring businesses to use the federal government’s Internet-based E-Verify system of determining whether employees are in the country legally, as well as another proposal to try to ensure that government benefit programs are denied to illegal immigrants.
Wednesday before the Senate Transportation Committee, Ketron delayed his drivers’ license exam bill for two weeks. He said his bill would meet Haslam’s concerns by allowing tests in other languages to documented applicants. He said he expects that proposal to become part of the omnibus bill.
“We’re going to vote one time and be more efficient and send one message,” Ketron told reporters afterward.
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Bradley Jackson said his organization hasn’t yet taken a firm position on the bills. But he said, “We cannot do something that puts us at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to recruiting jobs and retaining our existing companies or even sending a message that Tennessee somehow is not a friendly place to do business.”
Asked to respond to critics who worry that anti-immigration laws will hurt the economy, Ketron said: “I take the opposite position. Because this is such a hot issue in our state, a lot of those businesses, industries and families will want to come here because we’re doing the right thing. It’s about being legal, not illegal. The governor said to me yesterday that he took the same oath that I did. He stands behind all the laws that we stand for and, if you’re illegal, then you don’t belong.”
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It's generally not the Japanese, German etc companies that are the big employers of undocumented aliens, it's local or regional companies, often small businesses as well.
I have never seen a Begian businessman swing down M'boro Pk in the morning and pick up Mexicans who are looking for daywork.
Of course Haslam & Co won't go after the outlaw employers, he can't afford to see his Forest Hills neighbors do without maids and landscapers.
Yesterday I walked past the new convention center at lunchtime, heard a lot of Spanish, not that it's a guarantee of immigration status...just sayin'........
Well it's good to see bipartisanship in action. The Democrat working with the Republican House.
I do not think that the international business community is so dumb as to not understand the difference between illegal and legal practices.
If a business cannot compete with "legal" employees, then it should be put out of business, period. Personally I think Bradley Jackson with the TN Chamber of Commerce should be tarred and feathered and run out of the good ole USA. We are all supposed to obey and uphold our laws --even,OMG-- businesses!
Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, said the bill also could require businesses to use E-Verify system to determine if employees are in the country legally, as well as trying to ensure that government benefit programs are denied to illegal immigrants.
Ketron is the only one with an ounce of common sense. Kudos to you Senator Ketron.
The Governor is going to have to work with RINO's and conservatives
on many of these bills. The House Republicans shouldn't allow the
Chamber of Commerce be the deciding influence on every bill
whether Immigration or others in this session of the Legislature.
Otherwise the new majority will be no different than all the others
we've had to put up with over the years!
Kosh said: "Yesterday I walked past the new convention center at lunchtime, heard a lot of Spanish, not that it's a guarantee of immigration status...just sayin'........"
So what are you just sayin'? There are lots of bilingual Latino American citizens in this country. My family tree has very likely been in this country just as long as yours has.
If these guys were speaking German, you'd think it was quaint. You need to get over that way of thinking... just sayin'....
FCMullins
For my part I don't care what language anyone takes the drivers tests in so long
as they are here legally. As long as the proper documentation is produced the language of the test is irrelevent.
As for illegal immigration contrary to some politictians the only real place to start is with businesses. All businesses large and small share the responsibility of ensuring their employees are either citizens or are here to work with legal documentation.
It is my belief that if a business is found to be hiring illegal workers then they should face substantial fines per employee, and larger enough to discourage the practice.
Plus if certain businesses are found to be repeat offenders their fines need to be
so high they are put out of business.
By and large the only reason illegal people are here is to work, If they know
that they won't be able to find jobs then they will go somewhere else or won't come
here to begin with!
I welcome all immigrates regardless of where they are from as long as they are here legally!
This is just a smoke screen. He will do just what the busineses tell him. They want cheap labor and his buiness wants cheap labor. Every move he makes protects his business. But when he signed a bill to protect anyone from knowing about hs holdings, he can do whatever he wants.
"So what are you just sayin'? There are lots of bilingual Latino American citizens in this country. My family tree has very likely been in this country just as long as yours has. "
What makes this interesting is that there is a large enough population of bilingual construction workers, all with the same language set, to allow the alternate language to become a workplace language. You would figure mathematically that there would be enough "just English" speakers or people who are multilingual without one being Spanish that critical mass would not be achieved for Spanish work conversation on any job site.
We are not naive though. There is a reason why Spanish is a workplace language on this publicly funded project. Contractors examined the labor pool and Dean's political history with illegal immigration and decided they could take the risk of saving dollars by hiring undocumented workers. They know that there is a contingent in government and the media and the community that will not allow anyone to prosecute them or even dig very deep. This is one of the primary reasons that Metro is employing a PR person full-time on the job site.
Yes, there are some companies here in Tenn that are based in Germany, France, Switzerland and Japan. These companies ( and their employees who are mostly highly compensated executives) came through established channels and should have nothing to fear. My mom worked for a Swiss company for many years.. NO problems whatsoever. The problem is the fly by night operations that use a largely undocumented workforce and some other large companies (we all know who they are... a large grocery chain, a big box discount store) that knowingly look the other way when it comes to proper documentation and claim ignorance when they get caught. These companies should be heavily fined, enough to send a loud message and strongly discourage the practice. When you have politicians who talk out of both sides of their mouth at the same time, this does not happen. There has been a huge uproar recently regarding products that are now being produced overseas and then sold in the U.S. resulting in the loss of our manufacturing base. Our economy is based upon consumption and not manufacturing. Yet... you don't see Mexicans sneaking into China to get jobs there. It would not be tolerated.
"We are not naive though. There is a reason why Spanish is a workplace language on this publicly funded project."
I believe that oldhickorytony was not assuming anyone was naive. It seems to me that oldhickorytony's statement was suggesting that Kosh's statement was being informally biased. I have to agree with oldhickorytony on this one.
"A friendly place to do business" is a quote from the article about illegal immigration. Perhaps more attention should be paid to the legal Tennessean who needs a job taken by those not deserving of it. Why would this issue make us not welcoming people from around the world in a legal manner?
The completed bill will represent what one should expect
from our legislature: Nothing more than the status quo!
Newly elected members are told that if you expect anything
different then don't expect anything in donations or support
from the party (no matter which of the two) if you don't
conform. "The System" protects itself from all bills in the
end!
Once again Senator Ketron is working on behalf of his constituents instead of catering to illegals and big business interests. I am glad to be living and voting in his district now.
BTW, the Arizona law is patterned after the federal 287g. There is nothing wrong with the law. If your community doesn't trust its police department to enforce the law properly, then the problem is with your police department...their management's leadership, hiring practices and officer training.
Everyone hired to work on a federal or state funded project, contractors and subcontractors should have used E-Verify to check out their employees (and so-called independent contractors). If you suspect something is not as it should be, report it to the feds. Even if only 1 in 500 whistleblower suits pay off big, it is still way better odds than the lottery.
oldhickory - If you or some of your family, are legal immigrants, you should be first in line to object to ILLEGALS. They only cause problems for LEGALS.
This is where I miss 'idgaf'.
Funny that some media outlets will let you know this man is an illegal immigrant and some others will not:
"The man convicted of killing former federal intern Chandra Levy was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday in D.C. Superior Court, putting an end to one of Washington's most sensational murder cases.
Ingmar Guandique, 29, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was convicted in November of two counts of first-degree felony murder, one related to Levy's kidnapping and the other related to trying to rob her. "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/11/AR2011021103591.html
NPR did not mention his illegal status until the last paragraph:
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/11/133684751/chandra-levys-killer-gets-60-year-prison-term
Reuters never mentions it at all:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/11/us-levy-sentencing-idUSTRE71A58F20110211
Neither does CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/11/dc.chandra.levy.trial/?hpt=T2
Would love to know why some editors will go out of their way to protect criminals from looking bad after these events.
This statement says it all. I will work with the republicans on an immigration bill. I want to tell the Good Govenor that TN still has some democrats. .
Well Tony, the short of it is if it walks like a duck and it looks like a duck and it talks like a Mexican then it's "probably" a Mexican duck. And needs to go home and work on changing it's own country. Just look what the Egyptians have done.
.
Immigrants comprise 16% of the US workforce.
http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=129
Wouldn't it be nice if native-born Americans had those jobs?
I'm Native American, a proud Cherokee. We were taken over by illegal immigrants (you white people) and now you think this country is yours because you've been here illegally so long.... and you want to stop anyone else from doing it. Love it... it makes me laugh at your arrogance.
Oh, and it's nice to see the governor working on bringing new business into the state. Get to work on that and no one will complain if a Mexican gets paid $3/hour to mow your lawn.