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Immigration enforcement bill prompts legal and practical concerns; committee to study next steps
Summary
House Bill 1291, proposing penalties for employment of unauthorized workers, prompted lawyers and immigration experts to warn the Senate Workforce Development Committee that state enforcement would be largely preempted by federal law and could impose heavy costs and legal exposure; sponsor said he intends to turn the measure into a study.
Senate lawmakers opened a hearing on House Bill 1291, which would prohibit employment of unauthorized workers and impose penalties, and quickly heard legal warnings that much of the proposal would be preempted by federal immigration law.
Representative Matt Heilman, sponsor of the bill, said he met with the attorney general and secretary of state and plans to convert the measure into a study to resolve complex logistical and legal questions. "There’s just a lot of logistical questions that need to be answered," Heilman said.
Immigration attorneys who testified said federal I‑9 enforcement, national case law and administrative processes limit what a state may do. Sue Swanson, an immigration attorney…
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