Democratic lawmakers may introduce a bill requiring all Colorado high school students to show proficiency in English before they can graduate, House Majority Leader Andrew Romanoff said Tuesday.
Republicans have already said they will make immigration a high priority in this election year.
Four conservative GOP lawmakers are scheduled to unveil their immigration proposals today, a week before the reopening of the legislative session.
Their proposals focus on increasing Colorado law-enforcement agencies’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities and setting penalties for employers that hire illegal immigrants.
Some liberal organizers have warned Democratic leaders that pushing too hard on the immigration issue will alienate grassroots supporters.
Still, Romanoff said he believes the state has an important role on this issue.
To that end, Democrats are pursuing a resolution urging Congress to take up significant immigration reform, Romanoff said.
Such a resolution also might be passed on to other Western states. It’s “an unusual step, but maybe one the feds might actually take notice of,” Romanoff said.
Though the language proposal might meet some resistance, it will help bridge the gap between English and Spanish speakers, he said.
“Federal law says that we have to provide K-12 education for everybody who’s here,” he said. “A lot of the kids we educate may have come over with their parents illegally but now are part of the school system.
“It’s to their advantage, I think, and to ours as a state to get them up to speed in English and to move them as quickly as possible on a path toward productive participation in the American workforce.”
Democrats also may produce a bill requiring employers to conduct residency checks of all job applicants, Romanoff said.
Republican Rep. Ted Harvey of Highlands Ranch wants to require such checks of all state contractors and to rescind contracts with companies that hire illegal workers, he said.
“What that means is that citizens of the state of Colorado will be able to compete for jobs that the taxpayers of the state of Colorado are paying for,” Harvey said. “You will have law-abiding companies that will not hire illegal immigrants being able to compete for these bids. Right now, they’re being underbid.”
Harvey’s bill also bans in-state tuition for illegal residents – currently state policy but not state law, he said.
The bill also would cut all state funding for any municipality or other government entity that has a safe-harbor or sanctuary policy for illegal residents.
Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, has a bill that would withhold state worker’s compensation insurance from companies hiring illegal workers.
Rep. David Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, is sponsoring a bill requiring law-enforcement agencies in the state to seek closer working relationships with federal immigration officials.
Staff writer Jim Hughes can be reached at 303-820-1244 or jhughes@denverpost.com.
