INDIANAPOLIS - The state Senate voted a second time for an illegal immigration crackdown bill, setting up negotiations with the House, which is considering a different version.
The Senate voted 41 to 6 Wednesday to approve the original three-strikes immigration legislation - once called Senate Bill 335 and now labeled as House Bill 1219 because of procedural maneuvering.
The author, Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, said he wanted to include the proposal in both bills in case one stalled.
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 illegal immigrants three times within 10 years would lose their business licenses 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 says.
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 Sens. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, Lindel Hume, D-Princeton, John Waterman, R-Shelburn, and Richard Young, D-Milltown.
Voting no was Sen. Bob Deig, D-Mount Vernon. Deig had voted for the original immigration bill, Senate Bill 335, on Jan. 29. But he didn't like the way its wording was amended this week into an unrelated bill on unemployment compensation, so he voted no Wednesday on House Bill 1219.
The original immigration bill was criticized by business groups and Hispanic-community activists as being too punitive. Border-security advocates complained it did not go far enough.
When the immigration bill was heard by the House earlier this month, House Democrats changed the wording 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.
The full House is expected to vote on its version of the immigration bill - now labeled as Senate Bill 345 - today.
That will trigger conference-committee negotiations between Senate Republicans and House Democrats over a final version of an immigration bill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.