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| Immigration bill has bipartisan support |
| May mean check by contractors |
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Author: Scott Helman Publication: Boston Globe |
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June 28, 2006 - At least four Democratic senators have signed onto a Republican bill to require employers with state contracts to verify the immigration status of their workers, giving a bipartisan boost to the attempt to crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The bill, filed last week by Senators Bruce E. Tarr of Gloucester and Scott P. Brown of Wrentham. both Republicans, has also drawn the support of Democrats Steven A. Baddour of Methuen, Richard T. Moore of Uxbridge, Jack Hart of South Boston, and James E. Timilty of Walpole. Only a month remains in this year's legislative session, so the measure's prospects are uncertain. But with the influential Democratic senators lending their support as the debate in Massachusetts over illegal immigration reaches a fever pitch, the bill could be topical enough to get an airing on the Senate floor. Hart said yesterday that he hears complaints about illegal immigrants ``everywhere he goes" and feels the state needs to lead by example. ``Here we are in the midst of this nationwide debate on immigration, and I think it's important for us to make sure that those workers that are working in Massachusetts are legal, law-abiding citizens, especially on state contracts," he said. Tarr and Brown filed their bill in response to a Globe report this month that contractors on publicly funded projects had hired workers with fake Social Security numbers. Federal law requires that all employers examine documents such as green cards or Social Security cards that allow employees to legally work in the country. But the law only requires that the documents ``appear to be genuine" and says that employers do not have to be ``document experts." The bill has a host of Republican sponsors in the Senate and the House and also has the backing of a few Democratic state representatives. But Senate President Robert E. Travaglini largely determines the fate of legislation in his chamber, and his spokeswoman could not be reached last night. The bill would also require the state attorney general to work with the US attorney general to investigate possible violations of federal immigration law and enforce it. And it would impose a $5,000 fine or incarceration for up to five years for workers who use false identification documents to get state-funded jobs. But Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said there's a ``huge misconception" that a worker's immigration status can be easily verified through federal databases, which the bill envisions. ``That's just not the case," he said. ``All that's going to end up happening is contractors are going to stop hiring immigrants. They don't want to put themselves at risk. They don't want to go through the extra paperwork." |