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Colorado Lawmakers Tackle Illegal Immigration

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Jul 6, 2006 12:04 pm US/Mountain

Colorado Lawmakers Tackle Illegal Immigration

By Steven K. Paulson And Jon Sarche, AP Writers

by Terry Jessup
DENVER (AP) ―

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Colorado lawmakers returned to work Thursday to consider a crackdown on illegal immigration amid a heated election-year debate over what should be done about workers who come to the U.S. illegally -- and who should do it.

Legislative leaders skipped the traditional opening speeches and plunged directly into proposals to restrict public benefits for illegal immigrants and deny them business permits, and to make involuntary servitude a felony.

Lawmakers said almost everything will be on the table, including proposals to restrict school bus service and school lunches for illegal immigrants, impose a statewide identification program and protect health and safety services such as garbage collection and jail for felons.

House Democrats asked a federal Homeland Security official to testify on attempts to set up a national database to track illegal immigrants. Lawmakers want to know whether the state should set up its own.

At least 47 bills on illegal immigration had been introduced by Thursday. Lawmakers said they expect the special session to last about a week.

Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, warned fellow Republicans that lawmakers may be trying to do too much in too little time. Legislative staffers have not had time to even determine the costs of some proposals.

"I'm a little bit concerned about the scholarship, doing this in such a short time," he said.

GOP Gov. Bill Owens called the special session after the state Supreme Court disqualified a proposed ballot issue that would have cut off most state services to illegal immigrants.

In addition to asking lawmakers to consider a crackdown on immigration, Owens also wants them to pass legislation setting a deadline for the Supreme Court to rule after reviewing ballot initiatives. Owens accused justices of deliberately delaying their decision on the immigration proposal until it was too late for backers to start over.

Also on the table is a proposal to raise the minimum age for common-law marriage after a state court ruled that girls as young as 12 and boys as young as 14 can marry.

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