Denver Water has issued more than $5,000 in rebates for water-saving appliances to customers who used documents not approved by new state immigration laws to prove their lawful presence in the U.S.
Despite the gaff, the agency is not seeking to get money back.
The utility issued 26 rebates to customers who used a birth certificate to satisfy a state law requiring public-benefit applicants – including those seeking government rebates – to prove they are in the country legally, Denver Water spokeswoman Trina McGuire-Collier said.
The rebate applications – 24 of them for washing machine purchases and a pair for low- flow toilets – came after Aug. 8, when state revenue officials removed birth certificates from the list of approved documents.
The state made the move after a surge in “seemingly fraudulent” birth certificates from Colorado driver’s license applicants, state officials said.
“We received no notification that birth certificates had been removed from the list, and I’ve not heard that we will be trying to get the money back,” McGuire-Collier said.
The law doesn’t say how to handle violators except for individuals who intentionally use phony documents to obtain benefits. Those offenders could be charged with second-degree perjury, a misdemeanor.
Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who helped draft the law, concedes there have been problems in its implementation.
“But this is not a reason to flush the law down the drain,” Romanoff said.
The rebates, which range from $25 to $200, are for customers who purchase low-flow or energy-efficient items such as washing machines, toilets or water sprinkler controllers.
The department has issued nearly 2,000 rebates since Aug. 1, when the immigration law took effect.
There are 176 pending applications that require proof of legal presence – some from August, McGuire-Collier said.
Commenting to Denver Water on the requirement, one rebate applicant wrote: “What a shame it would be for immigrants to own efficient appliances. The thought of someone saving energy and water while not being born here – shocking indeed.”
Staff writer David Migoya can be reached at 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com.
