Kansas lawmakers hear testimony on a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to work in industries facing a shortage of workers.
The Kansas Business, Workers, Communities Partnership Act or H.B. 2712 would create a state program that matches undocumented immigrants with employers who have trouble finding employees.
The coalition backing the bill includes construction, landscaping and hospitality industries. Supporters say the legislation will help rural areas.
How The Program Would Work
Applicants must not have committed a felony, or more than one misdemeanor to qualify. They must have lived in Kansas for at least five years, pass a background check and be working toward English proficiency.
The program would target undocumented immigrants designated as low priority for deportation. The Obama administration says in order to prioritize the limited amount of people the country can deport, authorities are now focusing on those with criminal records. The U.S. deported nearly 400,000 people in 2011, the most ever.
Opinion Divided
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is among those who testify before the Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Tuesday. "The idea that you would legalize, attempt to legalize people who are here unlawfully is, I think a slap in the face of the Kansans looking for jobs." Kobach says he testifed as a "private citizen" and not as a public official.
Bill Gordon, speaking on behalf of the Mid-America Green Industry Council and Signature Landscape, supports the legislation. "It's just a fact that there are certain kinds of jobs that Americans won't do, that maybe they're not suited to do in terms of how they are physically built and what they can take in terms of long hours in the heat."
Former Agriculture Secretary Allie Devine helped draft the bill. He says the legislation does not seek to confer legal status on anyone. It simply allows the state to sponsor an immigrant in his or her application for a work permit from the federal government.
*Information from CNN was used in this story.
