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Richard Piatt reportingUtah lawmakers seem to be listening to a call for compassion on immigration-related bills this year.
Tomorrow, when a comprehensive immigration bill hits the full Senate, lawmakers will be considering a much different bill.
Republican Sen. Bill Hickman of St. George has been working with business and religious leaders.
They stepped forward recently to call for a much 'kinder, gentler' approach to his immigration bill.
Senate Bill 81, similar to an Oklahoma law, would have imposed penalties on employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers and would enlist local law enforcement officials to enforce immigration laws.
"The purpose of the bill is to set a certain standard for undocumented workers in our state. I think it does that, and it removes some of what some have interpreted as the harshness in the bill," Hickman says.
The bill is scheduled for a full Senate debate at 11 o'clock Thursday.
