Shepherd recounts heated floor fight over immigration substitute; House passed HB 386 narrowly

Rep. Alisa Shepherd described a heated, closely contested floor fight over immigration policy she helped advance, saying House Bill 386 passed the House "barely" after three Calls of the House but failed to secure a Senate sponsor.

Shepherd said HB 386 sought to revive or adapt aspects of an earlier guest-worker program and that she agreed to accept language from House Bill 88 as a substitute in order to advance the measure. She described several iterations and called the final floor debate "the most heated" she had seen in two years, noting three Call of the House procedures to round up members for a close vote.

"We had three of those in that debate," she said, describing the procedural intensity and saying the bill "passed the body barely." Shepherd told the audience that, after House passage, she attempted to secure a senator to carry the bill in that chamber but that the senator who was expected to sponsor it said his caucus could not get the votes.

Shepherd said the contested provisions focused on limiting certain state services to U.S. citizens or people with legal status, including some forms of public financing, and mentioned in‑state tuition and food pantry access as examples. She said churches and nonprofits provide substantial support for food access and that policy choices sought to avoid creating a "magnet" effect that might draw additional migration.

Shepherd said she would continue working on the policy, consider amendments on specifics such as the year of qualifying residency, and possibly revisit sponsorship and placement in future sessions.

The town hall concluded with a brief question period in which attendees asked about the objections that had arisen and the opportunity to amend or substitute bills during the legislative process.