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Committee advances bill to report applicants lacking documentation to ICE; critics say it will chill services
Summary
House Bill 3 07, which would require state and local agencies to report applicants who cannot document U.S. citizenship to federal immigration authorities, was reported favorable with amendments. Supporters argued it protects taxpayer funds; opponents said it will harm children, public health and create major administrative burdens.
The House Appropriations Committee reported House Bill 3 07 favorably with amendments after a contested hearing where supporters argued the measure protects public dollars and opponents warned it would deter vulnerable people from using essential services.
Representative Sheila Henry, the bill sponsor, said agencies that provide public assistance already screen applicants and that the bill would codify a requirement to report people who cannot establish legal U.S. citizenship to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An amendment adopted in committee adds monthly reporting of names to the Secretary of State for voter‑list maintenance and removes an annual Secretary of State reporting requirement.
Supporters said the requirement was a routine verification step and that many programs already require documentation to determine eligibility. The sponsor said the fiscal note had been reduced during discussions and that many agencies already cross‑check federal databases as part of eligibility determinations.
Opponents — including advocacy groups and witnesses who testified — said the bill is punitive in practice because children in mixed‑status families could lose access to benefits; they cited federal studies showing legal immigrants are sometimes misidentified by immigration databases and would be at risk of wrongful referral. "This bill is framed as an administrative protocol, but let us not be mistaken. It is a punitive policy in disguise," said one witness at the hearing.
Advocates also warned of major administrative complexity across dozens of programs, from housing and school meals to local shelter services, and asked the committee to hold the bill until agencies could quantify the cost and operational burden of universal verification and mandatory ICE referral.
The committee adopted the sponsor’s amendment and reported the bill favorable; members said they expect additional implementation questions to be resolved later, and appropriators will monitor whether new administrative costs emerge as agencies implement the policy.
