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SALT LAKE CITY -- A resolution asking Congress to give states authority to manage illegal immigration passed a House Committee this morning.
The resolution now moves to the House floor as an opposing measure emerges. The new resolution essentially asks legislators to throw out all bills that deal with illegal immigration on a state level. Click here for a comparison and status update of current immigration bills.
If it passes, it could end up competing with the resolution that passed earlier today.
SJR12, sponsored by Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, passed with only two negative votes in the House Government Operations Standing Committee. Sen. Reid told members of the committee that the resolution is holding Congress responsible for failing to deal with the immigration issue, leaving states in "quandary." He said this resolution asks Congress to allow each state to deal with immigration on its own.
"If Congress is not going to do their duty, (the bill) calls upon them to give the states authority and power to deal with the immigration issue within their borders," he explained.
As this joint resolution moves to the House floor for a vote, another bill is asking almost the complete opposite.
SJR18 calls on the Utah Legislature to stop the advancement of any immigration bill, leaving the issue to the federal government. Mike Picardi, with the Coalition of Utah Progressives, is helping Sen. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake, push the resolution forward. He says this resolution is the only constitutional remedy Utah has.
"We're saying instead of letting the process and spending more time and effort on bills that are unconstitutional, that we look at this, take a breath and revisit it in 2013 if in fact our federal government doesn't move," Picardi said.
Picardi says a constitutional amendment would have to be passed before states could take on immigration.
SJR18 will make its first appearance in committee on Thursday. It's getting support from several lawmakers already.
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Story written with contributions from Shara Park and Randall Jeppesen.
