Arizona lawmakers approve changes

| The Associated Press

4/28/2008 -

PHOENIX — The Arizona Legislature approved a proposal Monday aimed at correcting perceived flaws in a state law that prohibits employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

The proposed changes sprang from complaints by business groups that the law was unfair to employers whose operating licenses could be suspended or revoked for violations.

Business groups succeeded in getting the bill to narrow the employees to whom the law applies and to create protections for employers who make good-faith efforts to follow the rules. Even so, they don't think the state should have its own employer sanctions because they said cracking down on illegal hirings is the responsibility of the federal government.

The original law, which took effect in January, was intended to lessen the economic incentive for foreign workers to sneak into Arizona, the busiest illegal entry point along the nation's southern border. An estimated one in 10 workers in Arizona is an illegal immigrant.

The law requires the suspension or revocation of the business licenses of employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Employers also were required to check the employment eligibility of their workers through a federal database.

The revisions proposal, which won final passage in a 22-4 vote by the Senate, is headed to Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano, who has declined to say whether she would sign it into law.