Sorenson Highlights Immigration Legislation

(INDIANOLA) – Today Rep. Kent Sorenson (R-Indianola) highlighted the work he did during the 2010 Legislative session on the issue of illegal immigration.

Among other bills, Sorenson crafted HF 2345 which is the Iowa version of the Oklahoma immigration law.  Under this legislation, the Attorney General would be required to establish a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government to insure that unauthorized aliens discovered by Iowa law enforcement officials are quickly and safely transferred into federal custody.  It also requires public employers to use e-verify to verify the lawful presence of new employees.

HF 2263 was another piece of Sorenson legislation which was proposed this year.  Under this bill, the Department of Human Services would be required to verify the social security numbers of those who applied for their services.

“Recent legislation passed by the state of Arizona highlights the need for reform in the state of Iowa,” said Sorenson.  “It’s time to get tough on illegal immigration and these two pieces of legislation would have been a step in the right direction.”

Democrats killed both pieces of legislation during the subcommittee process.

“I will continue to work to create positive solutions the illegal immigration problem facing the state of Iowa,” said Sorenson.

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We are four weeks into this legislative session. The majority of our time has been spent dealing with the budget crisis that has been created by irresponsible spending and bad budget decisions. During Gov. Culver’s term, the gap between state spending and revenue has skyrocketed. In FY2009, the spending gap was $400 million, which increased to $800 million in FY2010. Fiscal Services is now estimating a $1.1 billion spending gap for FY2011.

One of the ways that the majority party has chosen to deal with this gap is to sponsor HF2001, which allows Iowa school districts to shift up to $380 million in employee benefit costs from the general fund to property taxes. If passed, HF2001 could result in up to $380 million in additional property taxes for Iowans – so much for “not raising your taxes.” (Governor Culver’s words)

Another way that the majority party plans to deal with the budget mess is to create yet another new operating structure of state government. Democratic leaders of the State Government Reorganization committee claim that there are “scores of millions of dollars to be saved.”  However, last week we learned that the current recommended changes yield $1.7 million in FY2010, $28.9 million in the second year and $66.7 million in FY2012, which is far short of the earlier prediction of $200 million in savings from the chairs of the State Government Reorganization Committee, or the Governor’s prediction of $341 million.

If you were to go into a DHS Office, you would see signs declaring that social security numbers are not verified. Every year the people of Iowa spend millions of taxpayer dollars on services that are used by illegal immigrants. I have drafted a bill that requires the DHS to validate the social security number of all applicants before services are granted. The department would need to incorporate the verification requirement into all application processes in the most cost-effective manner. This action would save our state close to $100 million dollars per year.

As I write this newsletter, I am struck by the enormity of the job that lies ahead, particularly with Governor Culver and the Democratic party in control of the legislature.  I would ask that all of you stay informed and involved in the business of your government and make your voice heard.

Representative Kent Sorenson

Kent.sorenson@legis.state.ia.us

515-962-2192