September 11th, 2008State Rep. Randy Terrill, author of Oklahoma's omnibus immigration reform law, recently testified on the law's positive impact at a legislative hearing in Utah.
Utah lawmakers have used Terrill's law as a model for their own immigration reform efforts.
"Oklahoma has blazed a trail on immigration reform that other states are now following due to our success at addressing this issue at a time when Congress refuses to act," said Terrill, R-Moore. "I am excited by this opportunity and look forward to helping the people of Utah reduce the tremendous burden that illegal aliens place on society."
House Bill 1804, by Terrill, reformed Oklahoma law to eliminate incentives that lure illegal aliens to the state.
The bill terminated most public assistance and taxpayer-funded entitlement benefits for illegal aliens, restricted the ability of illegal aliens to obtain official government IDs such as driver's licenses, granted state and local law enforcement officials the authority to enforce federal immigration law including the ability to physically detain illegal aliens until they are deported, and penalized employers who knowingly and willfully employ illegal aliens.
In 2008, the Utah Legislature passed Senate Bill 81, a measure that included some of the same components as Terrill's House Bill 1804 in Oklahoma. Senate Bill 81 was approved by the Utah Legislature and signed into law by the governor, but its effective date was postponed until July 2009.
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