The Colorado House on Friday approved five bills targeting employers who hire undocumented workers, while Democrats worked to save a key proposal to restrict services to illegal immigrants.
Democrats introduced a new plan to bar nonemergency state services to illegal immigrants after Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, crossed party lines Thursday night and helped Republicans gut the original measure, Senate Bill 1.
The Republicans said the Democratic measure was too weak. They amended it and voted to put the question to the electorate in November.
The Senate upset led to a Friday-morning strategy meeting among Democratic House and Senate leadership, where leaders decided to start over with the House measure.
Things got heated when Tupa tried to explain his move to his colleagues. Senate President Pro Tem Peter Groff had to break up an argument between Tupa and Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon.
The Senate had left Senate Bill 1 untouched as of early Friday evening, and the House passed its replacement, House Bill 1023.
As drafted, House Bill 1023 would require applicants for public assistance to provide proof of legal residence to qualify for aid. The bill exempted illegal immigrants younger than 18.
Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff said introducing the plan as new legislation was a “cleaner approach” than trying to salvage Senate Bill 1.
Republicans complained that Democrats didn’t move Senate Bill 1 forward. Democrats said they couldn’t vote on it because it did not have a House sponsor.
But Republicans pointed to the bill, which showed Democratic Rep. Jim Riesberg listed as the House sponsor.
“Not only have the Democrats conspired to deprive the citizens of Colorado of a vote, they’ve deprived the House of Representatives of a vote,” said House Republican Leader Mike May.
Democratic Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald said Riesberg’s name was removed from the bill after it was printed and before it was introduced.
Riesberg said he did not ask that his name be removed. House Republicans asked that the incident be investigated.
“I suspect more than a rule has been broken; I think a law has been broken,” Rep. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, said.
Also Friday, lawmakers took up a number of proposals to crack down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants. Among the five bills approved by the House was House Bill 1020, a centerpiece of the special- session agenda. The Senate also gave early approval to the bill.
The initiative would take away a state tax deduction from employers that hire illegal immigrants. Specifically, businesses could not claim wages to “unauthorized aliens” as deductible for state income tax purposes.
The legislature’s financial experts warned that the measure is unlikely to boost revenue because it would require employers to admit they are breaking existing federal law against hiring illegal workers.
Other business-related bills approved Friday by the House:
Creating employer verification requirements. House Bill 1017 would require employers to check the legal residency status of workers, keep records to back it up and attest that documents have not been falsified. Fines for noncompliance would range from $5,000 to $25,000.
Limiting economic development incentives. House Bill 1001 would require companies to verify they do not employ illegal immigrants in order to qualify for state economic development packages. The Senate also gave the bill an initial approval.
Tax withholding. House Bill 1015 would direct employers to withhold state income tax at a rate of 4.63 percent on money paid to an employee whose compensation is reported on Form 1099 and who has failed to provide a valid taxpayer identification number.
Meanwhile, the Senate state affairs committee killed nine Republican immigration proposals.
Staff writer Chris Frates can be reached at 303-820-1633 or cfrates@denverpost.com.
Other business-related bills approved by the House on Friday:
- Creating Employer Verification Requirements. House Bill 1017 would require employers to check the legal residency status of workers, keep records to back it up and attest that documents have not been falsified. Fines for failing to comply would range from $5,000 to $25,000.
- Limiting Economic Development Incentives. House Bill 1001 would require companies to verify that they do not employer illegal immigrants in order to qualify for state economic development packages.
- Tax Withholding. House Bill 1015 directs employers to withhold state income tax at a rate of 4.63 percent on money paid to an employee whose compensation is reported on Form 1099 and who has failed to provide a valid taxpayer identification number.
