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SALT LAKE CITY -- Texas lawmakers may copy the proposed guest worker program that is part of Utah's new immigration bills signed by Gov. Gary Herbert in March.
The Daily Herald reports the proposal under consideration in Texas creates a commission to work on immigration issues -- the Texas Commission on Immigration, similar to the commission created in Utah under HB 466. It also allows creation of a state-run migrant worker program to bring workers from a Mexican state to do jobs that employers cannot fill with U.S. residents.
The Texas lawmaker sponsoring the bill, Aaron Pena, says without a doubt immigration is a federal issue. But when Washington fails, Texans demand a Texas response, and this is a good start.
According to the Herald, Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, says this is indicative of Utah leading out on a very challenging issue. He also believes that Utah's version of a guest worker program addresses the issue of filling certain segments of the job market.
Texas is the latest of several states to consider their own versions of the so-called Utah Compact.
