Tennessee committee advances trio of bills tightening verification and reporting on noncitizen presence
Loading...
Summary
The House State and Local Government Committee advanced three measures March 31 that would expand verification, reporting and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement; supporters said the bills will protect state dollars, critics warned of public‑health, privacy and unfunded‑mandate risks.
The Tennessee House State and Local Government Committee on March 31 advanced several bills that would expand verification of immigration status, require aggregate reporting of costs associated with unlawful presence, and encourage local law enforcement participation in federal 287(g) agreements.
Representative (sponsor) Miss Davis presented a rewritten version of HB 17-11 as a reporting bill requiring state and local entities to tally and report aggregate costs in education, health care, law enforcement and social services that the bill sponsors attribute to unlawful presence. “This reporting bill does not remove someone's ability to be educated. It does not prevent someone's ability to be medically treated,” Representative Davis said, adding the reports will not include identifying information and are intended to inform fiscal decisions.
John Warkentin, a retired primary-care and public-health physician from Knox County, told the committee he opposes HB 17-10, which would require verification of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence before providing taxpayer-funded benefits to adults. “This bill will codify discrimination in health care,” Warkentin said. He warned that verification requirements at local health departments could chill care, impede treatment for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, and run afoul of HIPAA and other federal protections.
Representative Powell and others pressed sponsors on how the bills would affect emergency care and vaccination programs. Sponsor Representative (sponsor) said emergency exemptions are included and that hospitals remain subject to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). “If it's an emergency situation, no — they would be treated,” the sponsor said when asked about emergency-room care. Sponsors also said federal law would control where conflicts exist.
On HB 22-19, Representative Garrett described as amended a requirement that sheriffs enter into federal 287(g) agreements to delegate certain immigration enforcement authority to local law enforcement. Garrett said the measure is intended to ensure local willingness to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement; critics raised concerns about costs to local jails and potential unfunded mandates.
The committee approved the measures to advance to finance or other committees after debate and public comment. Recorded committee votes included 17 ayes and 6 nos on HB 17-10 and similar tallies on related measures. No formal enforcement actions were taken at the meeting beyond advancing the bills to subsequent committees.
What happens next: Each bill will go to the committee(s) listed by the clerk — typically finance or calendar and rules — where fiscal notes and additional amendments can be considered.
Quotes used in this article are drawn from committee proceedings and are attributed to witnesses or members who spoke in the hearing.
