Local representatives hesitantly approved Senate amendments with an 84 - 14 vote. Rep. Glenn "Bud" Smithson (D-Sallisaw) voted for the bill because Sequoyah County residents told him they wanted this bill to pass, Smithson said.
"The immigration problem needs to be addressed," Smithson said. "But this is a federal issue and could do more damage than good for Oklahoma in the long run."
HB 1804, authored by Rep. Randy Terrill (R-Moore), will require businesses to verify work eligibility of employees; require law enforcement agencies to detain illegal immigrants; and would deny driver's licenses and limit government subsidies such as health care and welfare to aliens only in cases of emergency.
Businesses not registering their employees in the new database system will be fined and punished for hiring undocumented workers Smithson said. Many small businesses, especially in slaughterhouses and other agricultural industries, are not going to have enough employees to continue running their business, he added.
The Department of Public Safety will be responsible for the database and deporting illegal immigrants. Smithson questions how much it will cost to deport the immigrants and what will happen to the remaining family. This bill will not keep illegal immigrants from coming to this country and he hopes the federal government will address the issue promptly.
While Smithson voted for the Senate amendments Rep. Ed Cannaday (D-Porum) voted against them because he said they weakened parts of the bill.
Cannaday voted for the bill in its entirety because he understands something needs to be done and is glad Oklahoma is taking a stand. Although, the representative still has objections to the immigration bill.
Cannaday, a former teacher and school administrator, who is focused on teachers, had problems with parts of the new amendments. The bill allows undocumented persons to receive in-state tuition rates.
"Illegal immigrants do not deserve to receive a tuition break when our own residential students have a hard time paying all of the tuition and fees," Cannaday said.
HB 1804 allows students to receive in-state tuition as long as they are in the process of becoming citizens, have lived in the United States for at least two years and have graduated from an Oklahoma high school.
Cannaday wonders what the fiscal impact of this bill will be and believes some tuition-fee money will be lost.
Ricki Jo Agent is studying journalism and public relations at the University of Oklahoma, and assists with the page program for the Oklahoma Senate. She is a native of Sallisaw.
