Illegal immigration measure appears least likely to pass Legislature

A sweeping illegal immigration measure filed by Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, could have the dubious distinction of being the legislation least likely to pass for the 2010 session. An analysis done on behalf of the Florida Tribune by LobbyTools shows that Baker's legislation -- SB 856 -- has more committee references than any other bill filed so far this year.

Baker's bill has been referred by Senate President Jeff Atwater to seven separate committees. The measure, called the "Florida Illegal Immigration Reform Act," has a number of provisions including requiring lottery winners to be citizens or legal residents, prohibiting cities and counties from adopting laws dealing with illegal immigrants, requiring public employers to verify citizenship status, and blocking illegal immigrants from attending public schools.

Baker on Tuesday joked that the bill was a "personal best" for him and that he has never had any legislation get referred to seven different committees. He acknowledged that there is no way for the bill in its current form to get through the Legislature. "As it is written, it would be impossible to pass,'' said Baker. "Our sessions don't last long enough to go through seven committees of reference."

Baker said he and the House sponsor, Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, plan to offer up a stripped down version of the legislation that may have a better chance of passing. The analysis of 2010 bills shows that one bill, SB 1202, has six committees of reference. There are nearly 50 bills that have been referred to five committees.

A spokeswoman for Atwater said that the reason the bill got so many committee stops is because of the comprehensive nature of the legislation.

Comments

[Ogman]

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable piece of legislation. Why in the world would you want criminals attending public schools or working for public employers? Why should cities and counties not be able to pass laws regarding criminals who often live off their welfare budgets? Unfortunately, reasonable legislation is most often not passed.

[Dave]

I had hoped the left was better than the empty rhetoric attack noe pevading the media. But I guess it's just too much to ask that they pass on such excellent sounds bites as, "Breathing while brown" and "When brown means illegal." Illegal immigration is a problem with serious negative effects: http://www.thinkersjam.com/illegal-immigration-is-not-a-racial-issue/. Maybe at some point we can get past the incendiary rhetoric and have a real discussion on the matter.”