(The Center Square) — A bill requiring state agencies to inform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of a person’s status as a non-citizen has cleared another hurdle, now advancing to the House floor.
The bill would also require that the state terminate any federal or state assistance if the person is found to be a non-citizen.
“Most of this already exists on the federal level, so these agencies already have to check for eligibility which in that process, citizenship is one of them,” bill sponsor Rep. Chance Henry, R-Crowley, said, responding to concerns from opposition. “These agencies have the ability to cross check these databases anyhow.”
The House Appropriations committee was the second hoop the bill needed to jump through. The bill passed the House Judiciary committee in a 10-5 vote along party lines in late April. This time there was no objection.
House Bill 307 mandates that state agencies and political subdivisions verify the citizenship or immigration status of anyone applying for federal, state, or local public assistance — such as food stamps, housing vouchers, or Medicaid— unless federal law prohibits it.
“This is mainly making sure our tax dollars only go to citizens of the United States,” Henry said.
If an applicant is found to lack U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status after a verification process, the agency must both terminate the individual’s public benefits and refer their information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the bill.
The legislation also requires each agency to submit an annual report detailing how many individuals were reported to ICE and how many had their benefits revoked. That report must be submitted to top state officials, including the governor, the president of the Senate, the House speaker, the secretary of state, and the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library.
The bill clarifies what constitutes public benefits and outlines verification procedures, as well as the reporting obligations of state and local entities that administer these programs.
An amendment adopted in the House Judiciary Committee added the secretary of state as one of the recipients of the annual reports.
