Dear Friends:
We made significant progress this week in the fight against illegal immigration in Tennessee. The Senate unanimously passed two of my bills that would crack down on those who use and/or traffic fraudulent documentation for purposes of obtaining employment.
On Monday evening, I will present legislation that will allow employers to require English in the workplace without fear of being sued.
Details of other recent legislative action can be found below.
Senator Jack Johnson
Tennessee General Assembly
District 23-Williamson and Davidson counties
www.johnsontnsenate.com
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Immigration reform bills highlight Capitol Hill Week
(NASHVILLE, TN), March 6, 2008 -- Legislative efforts by Republicans in the fight for common-sense illegal immigration reform in Tennessee continued this week in the Senate Commerce Committee with the approval of legislation sponsored by Senator Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) to crack down on those who knowingly hire illegal aliens. The bill requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to hire nine new investigators, three in each grand division, to investigate employers that hire illegal aliens.
The Committee also debated a bill sponsored by Burchett that would allow employees who are U.S. citizens, who were terminated by employers in order to hire an illegal immigrant, to have a civil cause of action for wrongful termination in court. The legislation applies in situations where an employer knows the new employee is an illegal alien and where there is no other cause for dismissal.
“The vast majority of our state’s employers are very careful and obey the law regarding their hiring practices,” said Burchett. “This legislation is aimed at those unscrupulous employers who knowingly hire illegals for the bottom line, and put their own welfare above that of their fellow citizens. In order to truly combat illegal immigration, we must crack down on those who knowingly hire illegals and this legislation begins to give us the resources we need to accomplish this.”
This year’s legislative action on illegal immigration will build on a number of important reform bills passed in 2007. These bills include the Memorandum of Understanding law to help state and local police deport illegal aliens, a separate measure to make sure employers get proper identification before hiring, and a new law cracking down on those who transport illegal aliens into the state. The State Senate also passed legislation last session requiring that driver’s license exams be administered in English to make Tennessee’s roads safer and a measure calling for proof of citizenship before registering to vote. Those bills, however, did not get the needed votes for approval in the House of Representatives.
“The federal government has failed us on illegal immigration reform,” Burchett added. “These two bills, along with reform measures passed last year and others pending in our General Assembly can at least make a big difference about how we handle illegal immigration within our own state borders.”
“We welcome those immigrants who want to assimilate here legally and become U.S. citizens,” said State and Local Government Chairman Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), who sponsored a number of immigration reform laws passed last year. “We are a nation of immigrants. At the same time, we must stop the flow of illegal immigration.”
“We cannot ignore the fact that immigration is not just a national problem when so many policy decisions effecting the issue are made at the state level, like proof of citizenship before voting, or proof of legal residency before a driver’s license can be issued, or requirements that only citizens should be able to receive public benefits,” Ketron added.
Ketron is also sponsoring a major reform bill currently pending that would stiffen penalties against employers who hire illegals, and would deny state public benefits to illegals except in cases of medical emergencies. The bill is expected to come before the State and Local Government Committee in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the Senate has already passed legislation sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) that would stiffen penalties against those who create or use fake identification for the purpose of obtaining or maintaining employment. This legislation would make the production or use of each false identification document a separate offense under Tennessee law if it is determined that any person in connection with the violation is not legally present in the United States, and requires the court to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Johnson also has a bill pending on the floor of the Senate on Monday to clarify that Tennessee employers have a right to institute an English-in-the-workplace policy.
“The failure by those who do not recognize the connections between the terrorist threat to national security and the growing illegal alien problem is undermining the steps that have been taken toward improving our security,” Johnson said. “These bills combine together to bring about comprehensive reform measures in Tennessee.”
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