The Legislature is in full swing - and we need your swift action on several pieces of legislation. Please read below for information on a victory, anti-immigrant bills in the Senate and the return of Conscience Refusal legislation.
Please contact our office if you write a letter to the editor of your local paper or if you contact any of the committee members. Feel free to contact us if you need further information or need additional talking points on these issues.
Regards,
The first of three anti-immigrant bills introduced this session to be scheduled for a public hearing was defeated today! This morning the House State Affairs Committee voted to hold anti-immigrant HB497 in committee. What does this mean? This means that HB497 will not move to the House floor for a vote and has no chance of making it to the Governor’s desk for signature.
The fight against this type of legislation is far from over. Please read below about what these anti-immigrant bills will do to our economy and community and take action!
Anti-Immigrant Legislation - Contact your legislators now!
Senate Bills 1271 and 1303 , both anti-immigrant measures, have been introduced and await public hearings. While each of these bills contain unique mandates, both are unnecessary and will be very costly to the state and county budgets in tough economic times.
Please take a moment to contact members of the Senate State Affairs Committee and urge them to oppose Senate Bills 1271 and 1303 and House Bill 497. Please use the following information to explain to legislators why this type of legislation is not right for Idaho!
1. TOO COSTLY TO IMPLEMENT: The Idaho legislature should learn from other states that have enacted similar legislation, like Utah and Colorado. In Utah, anti-immigrant legislation requiring employers to use an electronic employment verification program carried a fiscal impact of $1.75 million. In 2006 Colorado passed what many claim to be the toughest anti-immigrant laws in the nation and a year later 18 state departments reported spending a total of $2.03 million on implementation with the result of ZERO undocumented immigrants identified.
2. TOO COSTLY TO LITIGATE: State involvement in immigration regulation raises constitutional issues which can lead to costly litigation for the state. As of January 2009 various states have been involved in defending their anti-immigrant laws, including Pennsylvania, Missouri, Oklahoma, and New Jersey. Such litigation costs the states thousands of dollars in tough economic times when necessary services are being cut.
3. TOO COSTLY TO STATE ECONOMIES: Just one year after the state of Arizona passed an employer sanctions law, individual state tax contributions fell 13% at a time when the state was facing a budget shortfall of over $1 billion.
4. DIVERSION OF SCARCE STATE RESOURCES: After the passage of various anti-immigrant bills in Arizona, the state saw an increase in violent crime, 911 response times, and unserved warrants.
5. DIVERSION OF COUNTY RESOURCES: The sponsors of SB1271 this bill indicate there would be no fiscal impact from this legislation and SB1303 would leave enforcement and all associated costs up to the counties. The Canyon County sponsors of these bills should be acutely aware of the overcrowding of jails already existing in their counties that precipitated a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of inmates that outlined 14 different Constitutional violations. County officials are already overburdened with costs and have stated that, even without this ineffective and costly legislation, there are more than 7,000 unserved warrants in the county due to a shortage of enforcement resources.
Immigration is a federal issue. The sponsors of these bills are asking the state and counties to cover the costs of implementation and enforcement – fiscal responsibility that should lay squarely with the federal government.
It is important to contact these committee members, even if you don't live in their district to stop these bills in committee.
Senator Curt McKenzie (R) - Chair E-mail
District 12, Nampa
Phone - (208) 332-1326
Senator Monty Pearce (R) - Vice Chair E-mail
District 9, New Plymouth
Phone - (208) 332-1325
Senator Denton Darrington (R) E-mail
District 27, Declo
Phone - (208) 332-1317
Senator Robert Geddes (R) E-mail
District 31, Soda Springs
Phone - (208) 332-1300
District 33, Idaho Fall
Phone - (208) 332-1305
Senator Joe Stegner (R) E-mail
District 7, Lewiston
Phone - (208) 332-1308
Senator Russell Fulcher (R) E-mail
District 21, Meridian
Phone - (208) 332-1304
Substitute for Senator Stennett: Michelle Stennett (D) E-mail
District 25, Ketchum
Phone - (208) 332-1353
District 18, Boise
Phone - (208) 332-1405
Conscience Refusal Legislation Fails to Protect Patients’ Access to Care – Contact your legislators now!
After a first failed attempt this session, the sponsors of conscience refusal legislation are back.
What is conscience refusal legislation? – This type of legislation attempts to allow health care providers the right to refuse to provide health care based on their religious, moral, or ethical principles.
What does this mean for Idahoans? – If passed, SB1353 would allow a physician, nurse, pharmacist, or other licensed health care providers, to refuse to give you information, referrals, or advice on a number of health care procedures and medications including birth control and emergency contraception!
Where does the ACLU of Idaho stand on this issue? – The ACLU of Idaho is in a unique position to analyze conscience refusal legislation because we value and protect both an individual’s religious liberty and the right of a patient to access necessary, safe and informed health care. While we support the right of individual health care providers to make decisions based on their personal religious beliefs, that right must be balanced with the needs of the patient. Unfortunately, SB1353 does not include adequate patient protections and puts the health and lives of Idahoans at risk!
What can you do? – Please contact the members of the Senate State Affairs Committee and urge them to oppose SB1353 because it does not strike a proper balance between religious liberty and patient access to care.
It is important to contact these committee members, even if you don't live in their district to stop these bills in committee.
Senator Curt McKenzie (R) - Chair E-mail
District 12, Nampa
Phone - (208) 332-1326
Senator Monty Pearce (R) - Vice Chair E-mail
District 9, New Plymouth
Phone - (208) 332-1325
Senator Denton Darrington (R) E-mail
District 27, Declo
Phone - (208) 332-1317
Senator Robert Geddes (R) E-mail
District 31, Soda Springs
Phone - (208) 332-1300
District 33, Idaho Fall
Phone - (208) 332-1305
Senator Joe Stegner (R) E-mail
District 7, Lewiston
Phone - (208) 332-1308
Senator Russell Fulcher (R) E-mail
District 21, Meridian
Phone - (208) 332-1304
Substitute for Senator Stennett: Michelle Stennett (D) E-mail
District 25, Ketchum
Phone - (208) 332-1353
District 18, Boise
Phone - (208) 332-1405
Accessing Full Bills
We realize that you may want to read these bills firsthand. In order to do so, just click on the bill listed below.
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