The immigration overhaul passed by the U.S. Senate could put a big squeeze on the budgets of state and local governments.
The proposal does not help states pay for costs incurred by required policy changes, including ramped up English classes and greater access to public hospitals and health clinics.
"Potentially, we are going to create a financial catastrophe for states and localities," said Sheri Steisel, senior federal affairs counsel and a human services expert at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "The states will end up with the cost and consequences of the federal decision-making, with very little resources to rely on to make up the difference."
The Senate drafted this year's immigration bill after several bruising fights over federal spending. The result is a shortage of funding. Previous immigration packages included substantial money to help states pay for new costs. The last major rewrite of the country's immigration laws in 1986, for example, doled out $4 billion. Even before adjusting for inflation, that is 80 times as much as the $50 million in this year's Senate package.
The $4 billion in the 1986 bill helped states defray costs for providing health care, English classes, public benefits and civics classes that were necessary as a result of the immigration overhaul. It enabled 3 million unauthorized immigrants to stay in the country legally.Read the rest of the story HERE.
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4 comments:
Didn't it ever occur to the Gang of 8 that with limited budgets, how were states expected to pay for THIS MESS with just token funding from the feds?
It is always the state and local govts that pay the price for illegal immigrants, which is why Arizona passed SB 1070. It was supported by about 60-65 percent of Arizonans. Guess how many of them are hispanic or part hispanic-- lots. Anyway, SCOTUS didn't like the state trying to actually enforce the law EVEN WHEN THEY ARE THE UNWILLING VICTIMS OF THE FEDERAL GOV'T'S choices. This is not how the Constitution is supposed to work!
AZ
AZ -
You can thank Bush 43 appointee John Roberts, Bush 41 appointee David Souter(succeeded by Sonia Sotomayor) and Reagan appointee Anthony Kennedy for the Supreme Court's ATROCIOUS ruling on Arizona's new immigration law.
Roberts, Sotomayor and Kennedy joined Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer in the Court's 5-3 majority that reversed SB 1070.
Elections have consequences. GOP primaries have consequences too. When you vote for RINO candidates in the primaries, DON'T BE SHOCKED when those candidates govern like RINOs after they're elected.
Yes, but frequently all I can do is take what I get. Vote for John McCain and try to put the GOP in charge, or let the dem win, and guarantee a Harry Reid in charge. I vote for the Pubs when I have to because I utterly despise the dems and their agenda. I do wish the GOP had more guts, though....
JD Heyworth lost the primary to McCain. McCain is a nasty campaigner, unless Obama is involved, of course, then we can't be nasty, of course not.
AZ
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