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S.C.R. 5

This document includes Senate Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Mon, Feb 18, 2008 at 9:02 AM by rday. -->              1     

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION CALLING FOR

             2     
CONGRESS TO PASS BALANCED

             3     
IMMIGRATION REFORM

             4     
2008 GENERAL SESSION

             5     
STATE OF UTAH

             6     
Chief Sponsor: Howard A. Stephenson

             7     
House Sponsor: Melvin R. Brown

             8     

             9      LONG TITLE
             10      General Description:
             11          This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor urges Utah's
             12      congressional delegation to work with the United States Congress to pass effective and
             13      meaningful immigration reform to enhance the workforce of Utah and continue the
             14      economic strength of the state's business environment.
             15      Highlighted Provisions:
             16          This resolution:
             17          .    urges Utah's congressional delegation to work with the United States Congress to
             18      pass effective and meaningful immigration reform;
             19          .    urges Utah's congressional delegation to work with the United States Congress to
             20      ensure that any reform efforts focus primarily on enabling Utah's employers to hire a
             21      legal workforce sufficient to meet the needs of Utah industries to enhance the
             22      economic growth of the state's private sector;
             23          .    urges Congress to reduce the delay for legal immigration, including reforming visa
             24      systems;
             25          .    opposes granting blanket amnesty to undocumented persons;
             26          .    recognizes that addressing the status of millions of undocumented persons currently
             27      present in the U.S. is a complex issue; and



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Senate Committee Amendments 2-18-2008 rd/jlw
             28
     S. [     .    urges all components of state government to work to ensure that any efforts to effect
             29      immigration laws, or laws related to Utah's workforce that impact immigration, be
             30      deferred until Congress passes immigration reform.
] .S

             31      Special Clauses:
             32          None
             33     

             34      Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
             35          WHEREAS, the economic relationship with Mexico, which shares our border, is vital
             36      to the United States because Mexico is the United States' second most important trading
             37      partner, the United States is Mexico's most important trading partner, and the U.S. is the largest
             38      source of direct foreign investment in Mexico;
             39          WHEREAS, economic, historic, and cultural ties between the U.S. and Mexico are
             40      critical to many U.S. industries, including many in Utah;
             41          WHEREAS, as a result of their shared borders and proximity to Mexico, western states,
             42      including Utah, suffer a disproportionate financial burden on health care, education, the
             43      environment, and criminal justice systems because of unauthorized immigration from Mexico,
             44      affecting the economy of the entire region;
             45          WHEREAS, the economic impacts may be offset by allowing more legal and readily
             46      available foreign workers to enter the U.S.;
             47          WHEREAS, seasonal industries, including agriculture and hospitality, historically and
             48      currently play a pivotal role in Utah's economy, and are heavily dependent upon a stable and
             49      reliable foreign labor pool; and
             50          WHEREAS, current immigration law addresses neither documented U.S. labor
             51      shortages nor marketplace dynamics, and without a lawful avenue to provide seasonal
             52      employees, encourages continued unlawful immigration to the U.S. which continues to
             53      negatively impact the state's economy:
             54          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
             55      Governor concurring therein, expresses support for the development of a balanced national
             56      immigration policy with the overarching purpose of protecting and preserving the safety and
             57      interests of the United States and its citizens while recognizing the needs of Utah industries to
             58      have a stable and legal supply of workers quickly available where there are no U.S. workers



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             59
     otherwise available.
             60          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Utah's
             61      congressional delegation to work with the United States Congress to ensure that any reform
             62      efforts focus primarily on enabling Utah's employers to hire a legal workforce sufficient to
             63      meet the needs of Utah industries to enhance the economic growth of the state's private sector.
             64          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Congress to
             65      reform the current systems for obtaining work visas and reduce the delay for legal immigration.
             66          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express their
             67      opposition to granting blanket amnesty to undocumented persons and urge that appropriate
             68      sanctions be a part of any solution.
             69          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize that
             70      addressing the status of millions of undocumented persons currently present in the U.S. is a
             71      complex issue.
             72          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge that in
             73      passing immigration reform Congress not inadvertently create unnecessary hurdles and lengthy
             74      delays for those who wish to legally hire non-U.S. workers.
             75          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge that in
             76      passing immigration reform Congress not inadvertently create incentives for additional illegal
             77      immigration by creating unnecessary hurdles and lengthy delays for those who wish to
             78      immigrate legally for work or citizenship.
             79          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Congress to
             80      reform the Foreign Worker Visa system as part of any immigration reform.
             81          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Congress to
             82      eliminate current visa backlogs and prevent future backlogs to help meet Utah workforce
             83      demands.
             84          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recommend that
             85      these tasks can be accomplished by:
             86          (1) dramatically increasing the annual immigrant visa caps, including the limits on
             87      H-1B and H-2B visas, particularly in the industries requiring highly trained and educated
             88      workers and seasonal hospitality operations;
             89          (2) streamlining the processing of H-2A visas to create a more workable system to



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Senate Committee Amendments 2-18-2008 rd/jlw
             90
     enable agricultural employers to hire needed foreign workers for seasonal jobs;
             91          (3) maintaining the L-1 visa program; and
             92          (4) expediting work authorization for foreign nationals who complete University-level
             93      degrees in U.S. institutions to ensure that the benefits of the educational investment the nation
             94      has made in these individuals remains in the U.S.
             95          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Congress to
             96      ensure the enforcement of current federal employer sanctions for knowingly hiring
             97      undocumented labor, which requires the federal government to adopt a secure, reliable, and fast
             98      employment verification system accessible to employers electronically 24 hours a day.
             99           S. [ BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge that all
             100      components of Utah state government work to ensure that any efforts to effect immigration
             101      laws or laws related to Utah's workforce that impact immigration be deferred until Congress
             102      passes immigration reform pursuant to the principles stated in this resolution.
] .S

             103          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the Majority
             104      Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,
             105      the United States Department of Homeland Security, and to the members of Utah's
             106      congressional delegation.





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    as of 1-25-08 3:53 PM


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