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State lawmakers to take up immigration bill

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A bill the state legislature will consider during its upcoming session is aimed at preventing businesses from hiring illegal immigrants, but it's less stringent than an ordinance already approved by the Beaufort County Council.

If passed, the measure before the legislature is expected to pre-empt local ordinances like the county's, which is scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1.

Beaufort County's ordinance would subject all businesses in unincorporated areas to random audits to determine whether their employees are documented

to work in the United States. The bill in the legislature, however, would only require businesses that have contracts with the state or local governments to verify the legal status of their employees.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, got a boost in late October when the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce threw its support behind it on the condition that it trump local ordinances.

Members of Beaufort County's legislative delegation discussed the bill during a meeting on Monday. On Tuesday, members said they generally supported the idea of a bill that would have statewide impact, but some expressed concerns about it being weaker than the county's ordinance.

Rep. Richard Chalk, R-Hilton Head Island, said he would like the bill broadened to include all businesses, not just those that have contracts with the state and local governments.

If that change could be made, he said, "it would really be better to have a uniform state plan."

State chamber spokeswoman Marcia Purday said she hopes "what the state passes would be stringent enough that it addresses local concerns."

Purday said the chamber preferred the predictability of a statewide standard to a system where businesses would have to navigate a maze of local regulations.

Sen. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort, a staunch proponent of Ritchie's bill, has been pushing House members to get behind it.

Nearly a year ago, Beaufort County began working on its ordinance after efforts in Congress to change immigration laws failed.

The county spent hours drafting a proposal and scrutinizing it to make sure it passed legal muster. The county now is looking for a new business licensing director to oversee the program.

County Council chairman Weston Newton said he welcomed the legislature's efforts.

"We hope the state does take action," he said, "and to the extent that Beaufort County helped bring this issue forward, I don't believe this is an effort we've gone through in vain."

Newton said that while state legislation might match the county efforts on paper, the key to judging a statewide program is whether it is actually carried out.

"If the state's going to take this up, there's no reason for us to duplicate that effort, as long as they enforce it."

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