Governor Owens has called a special session on immigration as expected, according to the Rocky Mountain News. Coyote Gulch erred yesterday saying that the special session was to resurrect the Defend Colorado Now initiative that was recently thrown out by the courts. The special session is going to deal with some new topics and should result in a bill or two while putting the initiative on hold.
From the article, "Republican Gov. Bill Owens will convene a special session next week to consider a laundry list of illegal immigration proposals that has already served to irritate members of his own party. The legislative session begins July 6 and should last three to five days at costs of $15,000 a day. Among the issues: a package of measures modeled on Georgia immigration laws and another proposal similar to one tossed off the Colorado ballot by the state Supreme Court this month, denying illegal immigrants state services...
"The package of immigration measures embraced language backed by leaders of opposing groups Defend Colorado Now, which endorsed the ballot measure denying immigrants taxpayer-funded services, and Keep Colorado Safe, which takes the opposite stance. The two groups stunned state politicos with an announcement Tuesday that they had reached a truce. Their compromise included portions of Georgia's newly adopted immigration law, which discourages employers from hiring illegal immigrants and tightens eligibility checks for taxpayer-funded benefits. Owens, who said he has concerns with portions of the Georgia law, said if the legislature doesn't pass what he calls substantive legislation, it should send the issue back to voters in November. He wouldn't rule out a second special session if the Democrat-majority legislature fails to deliver...
"As expected, Owens expanded his special session agenda to include a number of Republican measures killed by the Democratic majority during the 2006 legislative session, including one that would require proof of citizenship to vote. But that didn't satisfy his fellow Republicans, who delivered a letter signed by 19 House members to Owens a few hours before a 2 p.m. news conference Wednesday. In it they urged him to stand his ground and insist the legislature put a measure on the ballot to deny state services to people here illegally...
"Former Gov. Dick Lamm, chair of Defend Colorado Now, said that if the legislature passed a bill modeled on Georgia's immigration law, a ballot initiative denying immigrants state services 'would be completely redundant.' Federico Peña, chairman of Keep Colorado Safe, said he welcomes the opportunity to present testimony to lawmakers on the "hidden pitfalls" of the proposal to deny services to illegal immigrants. Peña said the provisions of the new Georgia law are more practical and effective than the "shoddily crafted" initiative...
"Gov. Bill Owens' call for a special session gives legislators a chance to deal with recent controversial court decisions on immigration and common-law marriage. The governor's wish list includes: A ban on state services for illegal immigrants, except those mandated by federal law - emergency medical service, prenatal care and K-12 public education; Fines for employers hiring illegal workers; Tax disincentives for illegal workers. Employers could not use wages of illegal workers for tax deductions; A 6 percent state income tax would be imposed on illegal immigrants' wages; Proof of citizenship to vote; Strengthen the new human trafficking law; Restore to the November ballot a measure to deny some public services to illegal immigrants unless lawmakers pass 'substantive' illegal immigration crackdowns; A 30-day deadline for the state Supreme Court to rule on legal challenges to proposed citizen initiatives; Reconsider the state's common-law marriage practices to raise the minimum age for entering such a union, or do away with common-law marriages altogether."
Mike Littwin weighs in on the special session. He writes, "But Owens, remember, did the right thing by bucking his party on Ref C. And he had the chance, at minimum, to not do the wrong thing on this unnecessary, unwarranted, unspecial special session. It would have been his last important act as governor. But he passed on the chance and, instead, called a session that has nothing to do with policy or grand ideas. It's not even, really, about illegal immigration. It has turned, instead, into a weirdly bipartisan nod to the harsh reality of politics - and to nothing more. There's a legacy for you."
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post. They write, "The broad call disheartened some backers of Initiative 55, which would have limited state spending on nonemergency services to illegal immigrants. That proposal, while not addressing workforce issues, would have been locked into the state Constitution if approved by voters. State laws can be changed by the legislature."
The Denver Post caught up with Bob Beauprez and Bill Ritter to get their opinions on the special session. From the article, "Colorado's candidates for governor each found something to love in Gov. Bill Owens' call for a special legislative session on immigration reform. Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez and Democrat Bill Ritter agreed employers should be required to verify whether the workers they hire are legally in the United States.
"Ritter noted that business leaders are worried about the possibility of penalties for hiring an illegal immigrant. 'But at the same time, if there are verification tools out there that can be utilized, then we should require businesses to utilize them,' he said. The candidates continued to differ, however, on whether Initiative 55 - the citizen-sponsored ballot measure that would have restricted state spending on nonemergency services to illegal immigrants - was a good idea. Ritter said it was a 'symbolic' gesture that would have little impact. Ritter said he prefers passing state laws that would strengthen enforcement of laws that already prohibit spending on illegal immigrants."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
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