http://www.newsmax.com/us/illegal_immigrants/2008/05/16/96818.html
Mo. Lawmakers Approve Anti-Illegal Immigrant Bill
Friday, May 16, 2008
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo -- Missouri lawmakers gave final approval Friday to
a bill that adds new restrictions and requirements for illegal
immigrants, the cities in which they live and the businesses that
employ them.
The bill would require people to prove they are U.S. citizens or are
legally in the country when applying for food stamps, housing and
other public benefits; penalize businesses that knowingly hire illegal
immigrants; order the Missouri State Highway Patrol to seek special
federal immigration training; and bar Missouri cities from refusing to
cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
The measure also allows fines of up to $50,000 for some employers who
misclassify their workers as "contractors" instead of "employees." It
would apply to businesses with at least five employees performing
public works. When workers are contractors, employers don't have to
pay withholding taxes, provide other benefits or take responsibility
if the worker is an illegal immigrant.
The House approved the measure 136-12 on Friday; the Senate followed
suit with a 27-7 vote, sending it to Republican Gov. Matt Blunt, who
has made passing the legislation a priority.
He said Friday that lawmakers had passed "an extraordinarily strong
bill."
Blunt has used his executive powers to enact several policies
targeting illegal immigrants. The Highway Patrol, for example, has
identified 250 illegal immigrants since late last summer while acting
under Blunt's directive to check the immigration status of everyone it
arrests.
The Wa****ngton-based Pew Hispanic Center estimates from U.S. census
data that 35,000 to 65,000 illegal immigrants live in Missouri _
roughly the equivalent of the population of Cape Girardeau or St.
Charles. But Missouri is projected to have less than 1 percent of the
12 million people estimated to be in the United States illegally.
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