BILL NUMBER: SJR 8 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 8, 2013
INTRODUCED BY Senator Correa
(Coauthors: Senators Beall, Berryhill, Calderon,
Cannella, De León, Emmerson, Fuller,
Gaines, Hernandez, Huff, Lara, Lieu, Padilla, Wolk,
and Yee)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonilla, Garcia, Perea, and V. Manuel
Pérez)
MARCH 18, 2013
Relative to immigration.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SJR 8, as amended, Correa. Immigration.
This measure would specify principles for repairing the nation's
his torically broken immigration system, and
would urge Congress and the President of the United States to take a
comprehensive and workable approach to improving the nation's
immigration system using those principles.
Fiscal committee: no.
WHEREAS, This country was built by immigrants seeking a better
life; and
WHEREAS, Estimates suggest there are 11 million undocumented
immigrants living in the shadows in the United States, including
millions of children brought to this country undocumented who have
grown up here and call the United States home , suffering from
the dysfunctional immigration policy ; and
WHEREAS, A logical and streamlined path to citizenship for
these residents individuals after
they gain legal status would stimulate the economy by allowing
them to get college degrees and driver's licenses, buy homes, start
new companies, and create legal, tax-paying jobs, affording them a
chance at the American Dream; and
WHEREAS, The United States Congress last enacted major immigration
legislation more than 25 years ago; and
WHEREAS, Since that time, fragmented attempts at immigration
reform have failed to create rational and effective systems needed to
maintain international competitiveness. Whether in an industry like
agriculture, which requires large numbers of workers able to perform
physically demanding tasks, or in technology or health care, where
the demand for employees with advanced degrees is projected to exceed
supply within the next five years, immigration policy must be
designed to respond to emerging labor needs in all sectors of the
United States economy; and
WHEREAS, Our national interests and security are not served by our
outdated, inefficient, and slow-moving immigration system. Patchwork
attempts to mend its deficiencies undermine our potential for
prosperity and leave us vulnerable and unable to meet the needs of
the modern world; and
WHEREAS, To help our country recover from the financial crisis,
labor mobility is crucial to our economic prosperity. Yet our rigid,
outdated immigration policies are making it difficult for our
companies and our nation to compete. Information released in a study
by the University of California, Los Angeles, stated that legalizing
the status of undocumented immigrants working and living in the
United States would create around $1.5 trillion in additional gross
domestic product growth over the next 10 years and increase wages for
all workers. A study done by the University of California, Davis,
indicates that the last large wave of immigrants, from 1990 to 2007,
raised the income of the native-born American worker by an average of
$5,000; and
WHEREAS, California has the largest share of immigrants in the
country , and together they make up almost half our
population. Approximately 11 percent of workers in California are
undocumented immigrants . They are a vital and productive
part of our state's economy and are active in a variety of
industries, including technology, biotech, hospitality, agriculture,
construction, services, transportation, and textiles. They also
represent a large share of our new small business owners and create
economic prosperity and needed jobs for everyone; and
WHEREAS, Keeping these families, business owners, and hard workers
in the shadows of society serves no one; and
WHEREAS, Our state, for economic, social, health, security, and
prosperity reasons, must support policies that allow
undocumented immigrants individuals to become
legal and enfranchised participants in our society and economy; and
WHEREAS, Comprehensive immigration reform should include a
reasonable and timely path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants
living and working in the United States already. It should include
health and comprehensive background checks, and
require demonstrated proficiency in English and payment of all
current and back taxes, and should have the flexibility to respond to
emerging business trends; and
WHEREAS, The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research
group in Washington, D.C., estimated that in 2012 the federal
government spent $18 billion on immigration enforcement and that the
number of United States Border Patrol agents has doubled since 2004;
and
WHEREAS, Increased enforcement has given the federal government
the ability to prioritize the deportation of lawbreakers and
dangerous individuals and to ensure our border's security.
Nevertheless, this enforcement should not be done in an inhumane way;
and
WHEREAS, Immigration enforcement should continue to focus on
criminals, not on hardworking immigrant families, and not at the
expense of efficient trade with two of our top three economic
partners; and
WHEREAS, The United States loses large numbers of necessary,
highly skilled workers due to the lengthy and complicated processes
currently in place to get or keep a legal residency option; and
WHEREAS, Reform should also include an expedited process for those
residing abroad and applying for legal visas. Additionally, reform
should offer permanent residency opportunities to international
students in American universities who are highly trained and in high
demand, and in so doing avoid an intellectual vacuum after their
graduation; and
WHEREAS, This reform should also include a way to help
families remain together throughout the lengthy bureaucratic process
recognize the societal and cultural benefits of
keeping the family unit intact . The system should take into
account special circumstances surrounding candidates for probationary
legal status, such as those of minors brought to the country as
children or workers whose labor is essential to maintain our country'
s competitiveness; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the President and the
Congress of the United States to take a comprehensive and workable
approach to solving our nation's historically broken
immigration system, using the principles described in this
resolution; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the President and the Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative
from California in the Congress of the United States.