The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that time has almost run out for the Florida Legislature in their efforts to pass an immigration bill similar to the one passed in Arizona last year. The hours of debate spent on the issue in the Florida Senate on Tuesday appear to have been a divisive waste of time.
The sponsor of the immigration bill in the Florida House of Representatives is Will Snyder, Republican from Stuart. He said it would be extremely difficult to get the necessary 80 votes in the House after the Florida Senate rejected a vote on his bill and instead passed a less-strict version. "We had a majority for my bill," said a disappointed Snyder.
The bill had been pushed by Tea Party supporters while immigrant groups and large businesses had opposed the measure. Likely related to the opposition from business groups, the Senate rejected a proposal that would have mandated that businesses use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of employees. The vote was 16-23.
During the Senate debate, State Senator Gwen Margolis, Democrat from Sunny Isles, made a rather bizarre statement while appearing to choke back tears. "In Dade County everyone speaks another language. You can’t get a job if you don’t speak another language. That’s the way it is. That’s the way we live. That’s where I grew up." It is difficult to say what any of that has to do with a bill dealing with individuals who have violated immigration law.
Senate President Mike Haridopolos, Republican from Merritt Island, could still force the Senate to vote on the House version of the bill, but he has yet to make a final decision on the matter. Haridopolos, who is running for the US Senate seat currently held by Democrat Bill Nelson, is presumably pondering the bill's impact on his chances for career advancement in 2012. So while the odds are that the bill is dead, stay tuned.
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