STATES TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN IMMIGRATION REFORM

STATES TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN IMMIGRATION REFORM
It is no surprise that failure on the part of Congress to reform the immigration laws has resulted in a record number of bills and resolutions being passed by the various States. Just in the first quarter of 2009, 1,040 immigration bills and resolutions were introduced in all 50 states.

The main areas being addressed are employment, identification/drivers licenses and law enforcement, but states are also reviewing policies concerning education, health and benefits. Some examples of the bills are as follows:

Employment
Forty-one states addressed the E-Verify system, immigrant eligibility for unemployment compensation and other employment verification systems.

Identification/Driver’s Licenses
Most of the bills dealt with lawful immigration status or citizenship requirement for driver’s licenses and other state issued licenses such as hunting, retail and professional licenses.

Law Enforcement
The controversial issue of local governments enforcing federal immigration laws was addressed by a number of states, including cooperative agreements in which states can enter a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Homeland Security for such enforcement.
For a full report, see the NCSL Policy Project dated April 22, 1009 at www.ncsl.org.