Immigration Conference Committee Nears Agreement
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Senator Jim Ritchie and Committee Members Build Strong Bill for South Carolina
Columbia, SC - Senate and House members of the illegal immigration conference committee are close to final agreement following today’s meeting. Senator Jim Ritchie (R-Spartanburg), conference committee chairman, has led the effort to craft a nation-leading illegal immigration reform package and is the principal author of the Illegal Immigration Reform Act (S. 392). Following today’s conference committee meeting, Senator Ritchie announced his intention to finalize the committees work in hopes of sending a comprehensive illegal immigration reform bill to the Governor in the next two weeks.
Illegal immigration reform is vital for the safety and security of our communities. As states across the country work to address this crisis, we must work quickly to pass meaningful reforms for the people of South Carolina. This is a complicated issue that drives a lot of passion, and the reality is that we are trying to respond to a crisis that affects every town across this nation. While we cannot solve the larger federal issues of border security and immigration law enforcement, we can make South Carolina less attractive to illegal immigrants and the companies that hire illegal immigrants. As the chairman of this conference committee, I am working to answer the peoples calls for reform, says Senator Ritchie.
What we have done does not require substantial new money, it requires substantial political will and law enforcement’s follow through. And it requires our state government to get tough on companies that intentionally break the law, says Senator Ritchie. It takes all of theses elements working together to make this effort successful.
For the first time South Carolina will have a bill that contains language stating if an employer knowingly and willfully hires an illegal alien, they are breaking the law, says Senator Ritchie.
The joint conference committee is expected to meet again next week to review a final version of today’s work and vote on a Committee Report that will then be presented to the members of each chamber.
In addition to Senator Ritchie the conference committee consists of Senators Chip Campsen (R-Charleston), and Vincent Sheheen (D-Kershaw), as well as Representatives Jim Harrison (R-Richland), Greg Delleney (R-Chester), and Thad Viers (R-Horry).
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S.C. Politics Today | Ban on common-law marriage delayed
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Cruelty is cruelty. Why put dogs on a pedestal?”
— Sen. Danny Verdin, R-Laurens, as he expanded a bill that would make it illegal to tether dogs more than three hours a day to include all pets
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
News from campaigns competing in June’s primary. Read more
Senate panel considers water plan
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How much water does it takes to make a stream a stream? A state Senate committee might well decide that today.
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee today will debate for a third time a proposed state water plan, a law that would create a permitting system and set withdrawal limits for most large surface water users.
The fight is over minimum stream flow, the least amount of water that must be left in a stream as water is drawn down for commercial use. Read more
S.C. legislative action for March 9-15
Filed Under Campsen, Caucus, Hawkins, Top News | 1 Comment
The 10th week of the legislative session:
STATE BUDGET: The House gave final approval Thursday to a $7.2 billion budget that includes a slight raise for state workers and more money for public schools. The Senate will debate the budget in April.
CHILD CARE VOUCHERS: Gov. Mark Sanford’s staff is working to prevent the loss of child care vouchers provided by the Department of Social Services for moms in shelters and foster parents. Rep. Tracy Edge, who handles the budget for DSS, said he didn’t find out until Wednesday that the voucher program would be cut by nearly 900 slots. The Republican said he only knew the agency wanted $6 million less than it had originally sought in new state spending. The state budget passed later that day before any changes could be made.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: Legislators working out the differences in the immigration reform proposals got little done during their second meeting Tuesday. The six-member conference committee voted on a few minor issues but said they couldn’t spend too much time on the proposals because House members were needed for budget debate. The committee won’t meet this week because the House takes a one-week break before Easter. Read more
