BOBBY HARRISON: Slow start …

JACKSON – As is usual for the start of a new four-year term, both the House and Senate are getting off to a slow start, though, both sides have taken up some legislation on the floor.
       
The Senate has passed legislation to place regulations on the Attorney General’s office when it is hiring outside legal counsel and legislation to place penalties on businesses that use illegal
immigrants in public sector jobs.
       
The House has approved legislation to fund the community-based mental health centers and to fund education, including giving teachers a raise.
       
While the House underwent a contentious speaker’s election, the debate on those pieces of legislation was kept at a generally civil level and at times comical.
       
When Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, was questioning Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, on whether the state could afford the teacher pay raise, thunder could be heard from an approaching storm. Brown referred to the thunder and told Snowden he
has better be careful in what he asked. Snowden replied he did not know if the thunder was meant for him or Brown.

And House Appropriations Committee Chairman Johnny Stringer, D-Montrose, warned freshmen members to be careful in their votes because they could haunt them for a long time.
       
He said he voted against the 1987 Four-Lane Highway Bill 20 years ago. “There are still people who fight me every time I run for office because of that vote. They won’t die. They keep on living.”

Read more coverage from Bobby Harrison in the Daily Journal newspaper.

Senate bans illegal immigrant work on state contracts

By SHELIA BYRD
Associated Press Writer

JACKSON - Critics say a bill making its way through the Mississippi Legislature is a racist attempt to target Latinos who are hired by companies with government contracts.

But Judiciary A Chairman Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, says the bill applies to every employee, and it’s a “first response” to the problems associated with illegal immigration.

“There’s widespread concern in the state of Mississippi, as evidenced by e-mails, phone calls talking to people on the campaign trail,” Fillingane said. “I read in the papers all the time where federal authorities are busting companies and illegal immigrants being used in the workplace.”

The bill would require companies with state or local government contracts to verify all their employees are legal citizens. It passed 46-5 in the Senate on Friday. It now moves to the House.

Under the bill, a company could use a federal Homeland Security database to verify the citizenship. Several state agencies, including the attorney general’s office and the Department of Employment Security, would be in charge of policing the companies to make sure they’re in compliance.

A company found in violation would lose its government contract.

“It would force employers to racially profile their potential employees. Latinos are going to be pushed out of jobs in Mississippi, which is exactly what they want to do,” said Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, or MIRA.

During debate, questions were raised about whether the policy would further burden state agencies by adding the responsibility of checking the contractors. Another concern was how the state would handle the illegal immigrants detected by the policy.

Fillingane said the illegal immigrants would be turned over to the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Fillingane said he had not contacted the federal agency about the legislation.

Patricia Ice, who also works with MIRA, said the bill is redundant because the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires employers to fill out forms that verify employment eligibility. She said the bill clearly focuses on Latinos.

“It wasn’t proposed to focus on undocumented Europeans, which there are many in Mississippi,” Ice said. “It’s not meant to focus on Asians.”

Sen. Hillman Frazier, D-Jackson, was among those voting against the bill.

“We’re chasing ghosts,” Frazier said, adding it would bring an unfunded mandate on state citizens. “I think we should study it more carefully.”

Sen. Bob Dearing, D-Natchez, said he supported the bill because it is limited to government contracts, not private enterprise. He said immigrant labor has been a vital factor in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

“I know the coast wouldn’t have gone as far as it has if it hadn’t been for the Mexican workers down there helping out,” Dearing said. “They were living in trucks, under trucks and on the beach. I don’t know how many were legal or illegal.”

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The bill is Senate Bill 2037.