Gov. Bill Owens will skip a trip to Mexico early next week so that he can help his department heads enforce a new state law on illegal immigration.
The governor was scheduled to be a panelist at a regional meeting of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences. Along with the speaking gig, Owens – an avid baseball fan – planned to squeeze in a game while he was in Monterrey.
But duty called.
“The decision to not go was made right after the special session ended,” said Owens spokesman Dan Hopkins. “The reason was to stay here to work with department heads in implementing the provisions of House Bill 1023.”
The recently ended five-day legislative session produced a measure to prevent illegal immigrants from collecting taxpayer-funded benefits from state and local governments.
Owens had been scheduled to be a guest panelist Monday at the conference.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
