Colorado & Denver News

by Anna Alejo
DENVER (AP) ― Gov. Bill Owens said Friday he will leave it to lawmakers to decide whether to send an immigration reform plan to voters this fall or pass a new law barring state services to illegal immigrants.

"At this point, I'd like to see it on the ballot," Owens said after the Senate late Thursday approved putting the same measure on the ballot that was disqualified for technical reasons by the state Supreme Court.

Owens said the ballot proposal is tougher than a bill introduced by lawmakers barring state services to illegal immigrants because it would only apply to rules, laws or ordinances where citizenship is required, such as a state driver's license.

He said there are many services that do not require proof of citizenship, such as business licenses and other services lawmakers are trying to restrict in their special session.

Several Democrats led by Sen. Ron Tupa of Boulder voted with Republicans, including sponsor Sen. Ken Kester, R-Las Animas, to put a measure on the ballot.

Tupa said he had hoped to delay action to give him more time to talk to constituents and city and county officials.

"It's just a delaying tactic," he said. "I am supremely confident the bill will not go through both houses."

Meanwhile, lawmakers got back to work, dealing with about 50 bills dealing with illegal immigration, common law marriage and Supreme Court delays.

The Senate voted 22-13 to send to the House a bill (Senate Bill 2) that would require the state Supreme Court to rule within 30 days after briefs are filed on challenges to decisions by the state Title Board on proposed ballot initiatives.

The governor requested the measure after the court disqualified a ballot measure on immigration, saying he suspected political motives were in play when the court took nearly two months to issue a ruling. By then, it was too late for supporters of the proposed ballot measure to start again with revised language.

Sen. John Evans said the measure still gave the court too much flexibility.

"We need to create a solid time frame to protect the interests of the litigants," he said. "Everyone should be treated the same, not selectively."

Sponsor Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, said since 2004, the court has ruled within eight days on a majority of cases involving ballot initiatives. Only three times did it take more than 30 days, she said.

In the House, lawmakers approved and sent to the Senate a measure (House Bill 1002) that would require the state to treat illegal immigrants with communicable disease after lawmakers argued that public health affects everyone.

Owens said he was pleased with several other measures, including one that would require employers to check driver's licenses or a state-issued identity card before they could hire workers.

"It would allow us to put in place a very real employer mandate," Owens said.

He also said he was pleased with plans to raise to 18 the minimum age for common-law marriage won tentative approval in the Senate. Lawmakers proposed the bill after a state court ruled that girls as young as 12 and boys as young as 14 can marry.

Owens called the Democratic-controlled Legislature back after the state Supreme Court disqualified a proposed ballot issue that would have cut off most state services to illegal immigrants, saying it violated a rule requiring ballot initiatives to deal with only one subject.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)