Kansas Liberty.com, a web news organization reports Representive Lance Kinzer is preparing a illegal immigration bill for the 2009 legislative session. The bill will focus on eliminating in-state tuition for illegal aliens and require law enforcement to verify citizenship of arrested individuals. Kire endorses this legislation.

Kansas Liberty: 29 December 2008

Bill would include an end to in-state tuition breaks for illegal aliens.

Tactics will change, but goals of immigration reform advocates remain the same

Rep. Lance Kinzer, the Olathe Republican who sponsored a comprehensive immigration reform bill that failed to make it through the 2008 Legislature, said lessons learned during that campaign will guide his latest effort to crack down on illegal immigration.

Kinzer, the newly appointed chair of the House Judiciary Committee, told Kansas Liberty Monday that he may have over-reached in attempting to pass the comprehensive reform package and that he would attempt an incremental approach after the Legislature convenes in January.

He said a more limited bill might have a higher likelihood of success, thus building momentum that could be a springboard for other legislative initiatives in the coming session and beyond.

“Getting something is better than nothing, and I didn’t think, tactically speaking, that fighting last year’s battle all over again was the way to go,” Kinzer said.

In discussing specifics, Kinzer said his bill would include components to eliminate a Kansas law that allows illegal aliens to pay in-state tuition to attend state universities. In addition, the bill would create a presumption that illegal aliens who are arrested pose a flight risk, meaning they would generally not have an opportunity to post bond and be freed before standing trial. Finally, the bill would compel law enforcement agencies to verify the citizenship of arrested parties.

He pointed out that a California bill that would have ended in-state tuition for illegal immigrants passed constitutional muster before a state appeals court earlier this year. Outgoing Kansas GOP Chair Kris Kobach was among lawyers who argued in favor of the bill’s constitutionality. Kobach is assisting in crafting the bill Kinzer plans to introduce.

Given the state’s dire budget situation, Kinzer said he was purposely attempting to draft a bill that would have little impact on the state’s bottom line.

“I’m trying to limit the fiscal note as much as possible, and this would not have much of a price tag,” he said.

The bill will be partly defined by what it does not include. Last year’s bill, for example, included a provision that would have compelled small businesses to verify a prospective employee’s citizenship. The bill also included penalties for businesses that hired illegal immigrants. Both provisions were generally opposed by business advocates.

Kinzer said he continued to believe those provisions were needed but that he didn’t want to see a new bill bogged down over the same conflict.

“It’s not fun to back off, but I believe it’s crucial to create momentum that we can build on,” he said.

Kinzer said he was unsure at this point whether he would seek House co-sponsors and introduce a bill personally, or whether he would seek to have the bill initiated by the House Judiciary Committee.

“I haven’t made a final determination on how to proceed,” Kinzer said.

He said he would circulate a draft of the bill to House and Senate colleagues before introducing it.

- Phil LaCerte

Instate tuition

Posted by Tom F. Stoffers at 2008-12-29 20:23

Kinzer is right about his proposal. What sense does it make to have citizens subsidize an illegal aliens education at our universities and other schools when they graduate they can not be legally hired . The only couse that makes sense is to have our Senators and Representatives start respecting our laws and represent the CITIZENS of this state. Stop bowing to special interest and big business !

Tom Stoffers

Keep at it

Posted by Steve Fitzgerald at 2008-12-29 21:40

Representative Kinzer and others are to be commended for continuing to work this issue. This new approach makes a lot of sense – we did not get into this mess overnight and it will take some time to sort it out. This sounds like a good beginning.

Steve Fitzgerald
Leavenworth

Immigration Reform

Posted by Connie O’Brien at 2008-12-30 10:19

I have great respect for Representative Lance Kinzer and his efforts to address our illegal immigration issues here in Kansas. I totally agree that removing incentives that attract illegal immigrants is something that is long overdo. If the incremental approach is the only way to make some progress, let’s do what we can.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Posted by Robert Cuncic at 2008-12-30 12:12

“Bill would include an end to in-state tuition breaks for illegal aliens.”

Well, this is a VERY GOOD start. Why should ILLEGAL ALIENS be able to use our schools when by law, they shouldn’t even be here! This illegal immigration has caused more problems than anyone could have ever imagined!

I can’t say the ILLEGAL ALIENS are completely to blame for the shape of our economy, but they are a BIG part of the problem. The ILLEGAL ALIENS send BILLIONS upon BILLIONS out of this Country every year, money we will NEVER see again. Does this help our economy?

How about the BILLIONS the American taxpayers fork out for the ANCHOR BABIES, the schooling of them, the medical care and the list goes on, and on, and on.
How about the MILLIONS upon MILLIONS paid to jail ILLEGAL ALIENS for the crimes, then the cost to deport them. Does this help our economy?

Then you have these so called activist groups that want AMNESTY for these ILLEGAL ALIENS. It would be absolute suicide for this Country if AMNESTY were granted to the 20 million or so ILLEGAL ALIENS. We have more and more people out of work everyday and they want to add another 20 million to this Country? I say, “NO”!

If AMNESTY were ever granted to these 20 million ILLEGAL ALIENS, you can bet big money that 3 years from now, there would be ANOTHER 3-5 million ILLEGAL ALIENS demonstrating on our soil for AMNESTY. I don’t wish to lose my privilege on this site, so I will refrain from using the words that fit here.

An end MUST come to this illegal immigration. The perfect tool we have so far is E-Verify. It MUST be used on ALL businesses and Government Social Services. EVERY employee must be checked! If they are illegal, they are to be dismissed and deported!

I believe it is time for all 50 States to pass a State law, like Arizona, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and a few others. It is time for these ILLEGAL ALIENS to go back to their home Country and get out of this Country. The problems they are causing will not go away until the ILLEGAL ALIENS are out of this Country. I think that is plain to see.

KANSAS, GET A STATE LAW! I suggest Oklahoma’s Illegal Immigration Law.