By Bryan Corbin, Evansville Courier & Press
INDIANAPOLIS - The state Senate has voted a second time for a tough illegal-immigration control bill, setting up negotiations with the Indiana House which is considering a different version.
The Senate voted 41-6 this afternoon to approve the original three-strikes immigration legislation - once called Senate Bill 335, and now labeled as House Bill 1219 due to procedural maneuvering.
The upshot is that the bill would impose criminal penalties on those who conceal or transport illegal immigrants for profit. Employers who are found guilty by a court of knowingly employing illegals three times within 10 years would lose their business license to operate in Indiana. However, businesses that screened their employees' eligibility using a new federal pilot program, E-Verify, would be exempt from such penalties.
The bill also directs the superintendent of the Indiana State Police to enter into an agreement with the federal government so that state troopers can enforce federal immigration laws.
Among Southwestern Indiana legislators, voting yes were senators Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, Lindel Hume, D-Princeton, John Waterman, R-Shelburn, and Richard Young, R-Milltown.
Voting no was Sen. Bob Deig, D-Mount Vernon,
The original immigration bill - the same wording as passed today - was harshly criticized by business groups and Hispanic-community activists who complained it was too punitive.
When the three-strikes immigration bill was heard by the Indiana House earlier this month, House Democrats changed the bill significantly. Instead of employers facing the loss of their business licenses in court, they would face administrative hearings before the state Department of Labor. The time frame for three violations to trigger the revocation of a business license was reduced from 10 years to five. The criminal-penalty wording was removed. And the State Police would be allowed, but not required, to negotiate an immigration-enforcement agreement with federal officials.
House minority Republicans complained that majority Democrats had weakened the immigration bill, triggering a Republican walkout of the House chamber last week. They returned Monday. The full House is expected to vote on its version of the immigration bill - now labeled as Senate Bill 345 - on Thursday.
That will trigger conference-committee negotiations between Senate Republicans and House Democrats over a final version of an immigration bill.