A coalition of 70 tea and patriot groups around Florida announced Friday that it will "actively support" four bills at the Legislature -- but an E-Verify immigration bill isn't one of them.
Tea Party Network Chairwoman Patricia Sullivan listed the measures as:
SB 552/HB 359 -- Florida Ethical Practices Act 2012: Prohibits members of the Legislature from voting or participating in legislation that would provide special, private benefits to the member or a relative; defines a special private benefit; prohibits members of the Legislature from participating in legislation that the member knows would provide a special, private benefit to certain individuals such as an associate or employer, and it requires public disclosure of any such interests prior to legislation being considered and creates an official record of these disclosures.
HB 79/SB 178/SB 114 -- Repeal Septic Tank Law: "There is no accurate proof that septic tanks are causing water pollution, and until an accurate means of measurement is determined, an inspection program of any kind should not be considered," TPN said in a statement..
"The repeal of the septic tank inspection law is a property owner rights issue, and should be considered as such. The rights of 2.3 million to 2.7 million septic tank owners are being infringed upon with this mandated law."
HB 109, SB 220 -- Drivers License Citizen Protection Act, Repeal of Real ID Act: Repeals certain provisions of the federal REAL ID Act that was enacted in Florida in 2008, such as document scanning and residential addresses requirements for certain people like domestic violence victims.
"Weve seen the hardships it has caused citizens, especially women, just trying to renew their license, as well as the $10 million expense with no results other than the hardships on the citizens. The law does not affect any license security features and does not apply to noncitizens," TPN stated.
HB 343/SB 568: Florida Motorist Rights Restoration Act (MRRA): "This bill does not ban red light cameras, but instead changes the way the cases are handled in court, as well as mandating accuracy tests of the cameras every six months," TPN stated.
"The bill restores the ability to go to court when a ticket is issued, places the burden of proving a violation on the charging agency, and requires witness authentication of evidence in court."
On immigration reform, Sullivan said that while it is "a priority to TPN members, as of today it is not a priority to House of Senate leaders." She said TPN will "continue to monitor this important issue."
On Friday, state Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Port St. Lucie, filed HB 1315 to require businesses in Florida to use the E-Verify system to check the legal status of all newly hired employees.
Calling the Verification of Employment Eligibility bill "the best solution to help transition Florida to a legal work force," Harrell characterized it as "a job creator."
"We need to get Floridians back to work. By filing this bill we will give Floridians the chance for jobs which are being taken by illegals, Harrell said.
A joint statement with Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, noted that an estimated 1.1 million Floridians are unemployed,
E-Verify is intended to protect jobs for Floridians and to ensure the integrity of Floridas work force. At a time when jobs are so important, we need to do everything we can to be sure those who are working are here legally, Altman said,
The Internet-based E-Verify system enables employers to verify the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. It compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.
Harrell called the system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services an improvement over the current I-9 reporting requirements and said it would be used to verify new employees only.
Studies have shown that 98.3 percent of employees are automatically confirmed as authorized to work instantly or within 24 hours, requiring no employee or employer action.
Also included under provisions of the bill, employers using E-Verify will be protected and given a safe harbor, Harrell said. The bill provides a "rebuttable presumption" that the employer did not knowingly employ an unauthorized alien.
Tea Party groups supported E-Verify legislation last session, but an alliance of business and immigrant-rights organizations killed a similar bill introduced by Rep. Will Snyder, R-Stuart, A watered-down E-Verify measure cleared the Senate but did not get a hearing in the House.
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
