Business lobbyists weaken efforts for strong anti-illegals lawBy Sen. Glenn McConnell and Sen. Chip Campsen
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The impact of illegal immigration on our state is staggering. It is estimated that state and local taxpayers paid $187 million last year to provide public services to illegal immigrants, such as medical care, education and law enforcement. It is also reported that the hiring of illegal immigrants in South Carolina has resulted in a reduction in wages paid to South Carolinians. The magnitude of the problem is obvious and seems to be getting worse each day. According to The Economist magazine, between 2000 and 2006, South Carolina was one of only three states with a growth rate in its illegal immigrant population that exceeded 50 percent. Additionally, we have received testimony that the use of illegal workers has created an unlevel playing field. Businesses that operate with legal workforces cannot compete against those with illegal workforces in bidding on contracts. The blame rests in Washington where Congress has refused to act on the issue of illegal immigration. All they have done is mandate costs and pre-empted our ability to act except in very limited areas. They do not even enforce the laws they have passed. It is within the narrow confines of those permissible areas and in the areas that are not being enforced that we sought to act. Because of Washington's failure to secure our national borders, the S.C. Senate has been working on this matter for more than a year. Last week, we amended our immigration bill and returned it to the House of Representatives. The House will now either concur in the Senate amendment, or the bill will be the subject of a conference committee where the differences between the two versions will be worked out. What the Senate passed is much better than the status quo, and is much stronger than earlier versions passed by either the House or Senate. However, it is not as good a bill as it could have been. Among other things, the bill requires employers to verify the legal status of their employees. We considered a provision allowing federal I-9 forms to be sufficient verification as an weakness, since the I-9 is the basis of the failed federal verification system we are trying to correct. Fake Social Security cards and fake out-of-state driver's licenses are all that is needed for the I-9, and federal law prohibits scrutiny of these underlying documents. We, therefore, offered amendments to assure a meaningful employee verification system similar to a plan enacted in Arizona, which has been effective and upheld in the federal courts. The first amendment removed the faulty I-9 as a verification option. Having lost that amendment, we offered another that created a South Carolina form similar to the I-9. But unlike the federal form, it could be scrutinized by state officials for its validity. Neither of these plans placed an undue burden on South Carolina businesses, but each was defeated by a business lobby spearheaded by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. The people of our area need to know that we offered and fought for an amendment that would have required employers to take reasonable steps to ensure that the people they hire are legally in this country. They could have done this either by reviewing the applicants' South Carolina driver's licenses, participating in the federal government's E-Verify system, or filling out S.C. I-9 forms. None of these steps would have placed an undue burden on businesses and would not have subjected them to fines if they mistakenly hired an illegal worker who had false documents. In fact, we sought to accommodate any concern that senators had about our amendments being too burdensome on our small-business owners. However, no matter how hard we tried to make this work, it seems that the major problem our opponents had with our amendments is that they would be effective in stemming illegal immigration. That seems to have been the problem. The state Chamber of Commerce and its lobbyists worked against our amendments and their pressure worked. Their allies defeated any attempt to have meaningful enforcement. We believe that the future well-being of our state and its citizens requires us to be vigilant in our efforts to do everything we can to stem the influx of illegal immigrants into our state. That is why the Senate passed a call for a constitutional convention that would allow the states to protect themselves if Congress continues to fail to act. That is why the Senate passed a bill that would require all state-government business to be conducted in English only. But we also need to ensure that our businesses compete on an even footing and that the businesses that hire legal workers are not put at competitive disadvantage by those that intentionally do not. We report to you on our unsuccessful efforts to strengthen reform and, sadly, on the success the Chamber's lobby had in blocking more meaningful reform. With federal pre-emption in so many areas, what we asked for in reform was not overreaching or unreasonable. In fact, we consider the intensity of the lobbying effort against our reforms by those with vested interests in keeping the flow of illegal workers open to be a testimony to the effectiveness of our proposals. Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Dist. 41, represents Charleston County and is President Pro Tempore of the S.C. Senate. Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Dist. 43, represents Berkeley and Charleston counties. |
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Comments
This article has 8 comment(s)
Posted by carolinadude on February 17, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I would like to thank the two senators for the op ed above. It certainly throws some light upon the process that has gone on in the SC General Assembly that is "of the chamber of commerce, for the chamber of commerce and by the chamber of commerce." These two could not however resist putting political spin on this issue. They say "the blame rests in Wshington where Congress has refused to act on the issue of illegal immigration". I contend that the blame for this weak kneed legislation lies with the SC Senate, the majority of which is "bought and paid for" by the SC Chamber of Commerce. They further stated that they offered a SC form similar to the I-9 that could be sctuinized by stated officials for it's validity,"but each was defeated by a business lobby spearheaded by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce". THERE'S THE SPIN FOLKS. IN ACTUALITY, THE STRONGER VERIFICATION FORM WAS DEFEATED BY THE MAJORITY OF SC SENATORS WHO ARE SOLD OUT TO THE SC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. Sen McConnell could not bring himself to admit that he, the nationally renowned master of parliamentary procedure" and the "President Pro Tempore of the S.C. Senate", was defeated by his fellow "bought and paid for" senators. Where does the spin stop in SC? Right here in the comment section of the Charleston Post and Courier. I'M TRULY THANKFUL FOR THIS FORUM IN OUR LOCAL PAPER.
Posted by skyguy51 on February 17, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Looks like we have the best legislature the Chamber of Commerce's money could buy! Pretty soon we will be using pesos.
Posted by Brittanicus on February 17, 2008 at 6:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Illegal Immigration in South Carolina. Don't let the rhetoric of immigration attorneys or your politicians offer you are snow-job on the the costs of the illegal immigration occupation of your state: Here are some facts! Not suppressed glib talk from the national press, or the hired help in Washington, DC. Taxpayers get the full burden of the employers cheap labor need, while you lose your jobs and they gain huge profits.
The state attracts illegal aliens largely because of its agricultural production, but large illegal populations can be found in other industries as well. Paul Groeschel, co-director of the Hispanic Office of Legal Assistance on Hilton Head Island, estimates that anywhere from half to three-fourths of the 4,000 to 5,000 Hispanics on Hilton Head are illegal.
Hospitals throughout the state say they have been left with at least $4 million in unpaid bills after delivering babies for illegal immigrants who disappear before filing Medicaid paperwork. Hospitals in Spartanburg, Greenville, Charleston, and Horry counties are the most affected. Under federal law, hospitals cannot refuse service to anyone, regardless of their citizenship status.
State Attorney General Charlie Condon is working to find ways for South Carolina to make arrests under federal immigration law. Current state law makes it unclear whether the state has that authority. Under Condon's plan, officers would be able to make arrests based on federal immigration laws and house prisoners in local jails at federal expense until they can be shipped to a federal facility. In the past, local law enforcement officers have contacted Condon's office in the past, complaining that INS has told them not to bother holding small numbers of illegal immigrants for the agency.
projected annual fiscal costs to South Carolina taxpayers
for emergency medical care, education and incarceration resulting if an amnesty is adopted for illegal residents.
Current
$186,000,000
2010
$333,000,000
2020
$615,000,000
The cost of immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay)$70 BILLION a year,[Professor Donald Huddle, Rice University];
Posted by skyguy51 on February 17, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Did I miss a recent election? I thought Henry McMaster not Charlie Condon was the SC Attorney General.
Posted by carolinadude on February 18, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You're right shyguy51. While i agree with the points made by Brittanicus, he's a little behind on the attorney general's office. I'd like to see Henry Mc or Charlie run for governor in a couple of years. Either of them would do an excellent job, in my opinion. While I appreciate most of the stands that Mr. Sanford has taken, i believe that Henry of Charlie would have a better rapport with the lawmakers. In fairness to Mr. Sanford, it's hard to reform a state government when your lawmakers are largely "bought and paid for" by the special interest. We have a "mell of a hess" in SC government. Quite a number of these turkeys in the assembly are resigning, and in my opinion, more resignations are desperately needed. It certainly would save the voters mega bucks in campaign contributions, and it's certainly time for a "house cleaning". I still remember the pigs that he took into the capital. What an awesome analogy. The huge lawmaker resentment stemmed from the fact that "truth hurts".
Posted by nomorebull on February 20, 2008 at 7:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That's all well and good Senators, but where can we find out how our representatives (and I say OUR representatives with a laugh) voted on this issue?
Don't just listen to people, go out and see for yourselves what these Illegals are doing to our way of life. You don't have to go far to find this out. Try the U.S.1 flea market on US-1 in West Columbia, any Saturday or Sunday. Not only have they taken over, they Blast their music, and don't care if your set-up next to them and you can't hear what a customer is saying. Then, go down to the Barn yard flea market, and ask to vegetable vender's there, how they feel about being the last of the Legal resident vegetable vender's to be run out of the US1 market, after being there many years. I won't hold my breath waiting for anyone from the House or Senate to show!
I hope you and your Colleagues will read this article from the Hartford Courant, to show you just how out of hand things can become.
Did you know Interpreters were a Human Right? That's right Interpreters for not one or two languages, but 65 of them! Ask the chamber of commerce, if they are going to pay for this! Next a drivers license will be a Human Right. I can hear it now!
Here is the URL for the article, from the Hartford Courant. Please, read!
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-...
Think it can't happen here, think again!
I am originally from Connecticut and have seen first hand how these people work. The road your on has been traveled by others before you, from other states. In Connecticut the politicians sold out the people, for special interest groups. The question is , will South Carolina's politicians do the same?
Get out your check books, this is going to cost a lot of us MUCHO DINERO!
Hey, it's a nice ride over to West Columbia, check it out.
Posted by nomorebull on February 20, 2008 at 7:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If we don't do as Oklahoma has done, we will end up like New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other states, BROKE and always raising taxes.
As my father used to say "mark my words"
Posted by nos2001 on May 5, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
any bill that allows I 9 is a joke. the id needed can be gotten at most any flea market. given a choice between the I 9 OR E VERIFY, e verify is the way to go. I 9 gives employers the option to keep using the failed form that has been used.. the answer to our problem is simple--fine and jail the employers.. if these criminals have no job they will deport themselves.could we trade our elected house and senate with georgia? they have passed tough laws, that is why the illegals are coming here. the state of california is a broken state. one billion dollars a year just for education of the children of these illegals. over a hundred hospitals have had to close. schools,hospitals,jails,gangs,hit and runs,no license,no insurance-where does it end. i don't know who our elected officials are representing but it's not us.. what about people who have lost their job or business because they can't compete. legit business have to pay taxes, workmans comp etc. america-we are doomed-manufacturing to china,outsourcing to india and our jobs to mexicans.... vote-throw the bums out.....