By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — A House committee today voted down a bill that would deny state benefits to illegal immigrants except in emergencies.
CUTLINE: Rep. Jon Hubbard, R-Jonesboro, testifies in support of his bill to ban state benefits for illegal immigrants. The bill failed in an 8-9 vote. (John Lyon Photo)
House Bill 1292 by Rep. Jon Hubbard, R-Jonesboro, failed in the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee in an 8-9 vote.
The vote in the 20-member committee was strictly along party lines, with all eight Republicans present voting for the bill and all nine Democrats present voting against it.
The panel rejected the measure even though it was amended four times to address members’ concerns during a marathon meeting that began at mid-morning, recessed for the House’s afternoon session and resumed after the House adjourned for the day.
The room was packed for the morning portion of the meeting, with some in the audience wearing anti-HB 1292 buttons and some wearing Tea Party or Secure Arkansas badges. Secure Arkansas tried unsuccessfully to place a ban on state benefits for illegal immigrants on the November 2010 ballot.
Hubbard told reporters he had no plans to bring the bill back. He said “political games” killed a bill he believed most Arkansans would support and speculated that the games started at “the top.”
“I don’t think the governor wanted this bill passed,” he said. “He probably did whatever he could do to see it didn’t pass.”
Hubbard said “several conservative bills” have died in committee during the session.
“You just kind of take that and see what you surmise from that,” he said.
Gov. Mike Beebe said later he opposed the bill because of concerns that it would deny prenatal care and immunizations to illegal immigrants. The bill was amended in committee to exempt prenatal care, but Beebe said immunizations also are good policy.
“The feds say we have to allow (K-12) education for people whether they’re here documented or undocumented, and therefore we shouldn’t be sending undocumented kids to school without vaccinations when they’re going to be exposed to every other kid,” he said.
Beebe also said Hubbard should know that it is part of the governor’s job to let people know where he stands when he has a strong position on a bill.
“Do I do it on a lot of bills? You bet you, all the time,” he said. “And that’s part of the process. If he’s whining about me trying to talk people into voting for or voting against bills, in my opinion he doesn’t understand this process.”
Hubbard said during the committee hearing he was willing to consider amending the bill to exempt immunizations. He tried twice to pull the bill down, but Reps. Eddie Cheatham, D-Crossett, and Larry Cowling, D-Foreman, objected, and a vote on pulling down the bill failed.
Hubbard said Arkansas has to do something to discourage illegal immigrants from coming into the state because the federal government is not enforcing federal immigration laws. He accepted the amendment to exempt prenatal care with reluctance.
“I think these people are exploiting the compassion of the people of Arkansas because they know that if they come here and they’re pregnant at the time, then we’re going to provide the benefits for them,” he said.
Some members complained that it was unclear how state agencies would enforce the ban, how much it would cost to enforce it, how to define “emergencies” and why the bill was necessary when federal law already prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving most state services.
State Health Officer Paul Halverson testified that if the state Health Department were to begin checking the immigration status of everyone who receives services, some would choose not to seek treatment.
“If in fact the Health Department becomes known as an immigration agent for either the state or the federal government, and it has an impact of keeping people away, then in our opinion it has a far more negative impact on the health of the state,” he said.
Glenn Gallas of Hot Springs, who unsuccessfully ran for the Republican 4th District congressional nomination last year, testified that “if we continue to keep our hands in the sand about this challenge, as well as the mounting costs of illegal immigration, we will fall victim to the same budget crisis that all but four states in the United States are going through right now.”
Jean McClellan-Chambers of Fort Smith testified that the ban Hubbard proposed would cause Arkansas to be inundated with lawsuits and “in the long run will hold the reputation of the state of Arkansas to ridicule.”
Committee members who voted “yes” on the bill were Reps. Duncan Baird, Ann Clemmer, Ed Garner, Debra Hobbs, Karen Hopper, Donna Hutchinson, Andrea Lea and Mary Slinkard.
Members who voted “no” were Reps. Eddie Cheatham, Larry Cowling, Clark Hall, Jim Nickels, Tracy Pennartz, Johnnie Roebuck, Tiffany Rogers, Linda Tyler and Butch Wilkins.
Not present were Reps. James McClean, Nate Steele and John Vines, all Democrats.
