Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

With GOP in control, immigration measures getting traction in Nevada Legislature

Tesla Special Session Sept. 11, 2014

Cathleen Allison / AP

Nevada Assemblyman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, speaks on the Assembly floor during the second day of a special session at the Nevada Legislature on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, in Carson City.

The Republican takeover of the Nevada Legislature has sparked life into efforts to pass state measures aimed at curbing illegal immigration.

An early manifestation of the GOP’s push on immigration policy came Monday when Assemblyman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, introduced Assembly Bill 133, which would require the Nevada State Contractor’s Board to investigate and penalize contractors who knowingly employ workers living in the country illegally.

Because states don’t have the authority to regulate immigration laws, AB133 is a moot bill lacking any concrete impact in government. Hansen, a plumbing contractor, acknowledged as much before a Republican-led committee panel on Monday, but said he felt the measure was an important statement.

“This bill is somewhat symbolic because I think there’s a need for someone to start talking about the legal workers in this state,” Hansen said. “I wanted to speak for people who are blue collar like myself who have seen a stagnation in wages because of competition from people who are not even supposed to be in our labor market.”

The maneuver was symbolic for other political reasons.

The GOP holds the governorship and the majorities in both houses of the Legislature for the first time in decades, giving right-wing politicians like Hansen a clearer path on bills targeting illegal immigration. In past sessions, such bills were quashed by majority Democrats.

But now, those same measures are “vibrant and have a chance to get out of committee and move forward in the process,” UNLV political science professor David Damore said.

Hansen’s move signaled the likely revival of old proposals that failed to gain traction in a Democrat-led Legislature.

Assemblyman Philip O’Neill, for instance, says he plans to propose legislation that seeks to require contractors working on government projects to screen employees with E-Verify, the electronic system that checks the work eligibility of new employees. Similar bills were introduced during the 2011 and 2013 sessions but failed to pass.

The success of Hansen’s bill could test the cohesiveness of Assembly Republicans.

Sen. Mo Denis, who spoke against the bill on Monday, said Hispanic legislators have vowed to vote against it. The Democrat said lawmakers should focus their efforts discussing bills that have the potential to bring about meaningful change.

It’s unclear how much support AB133 will get from Hansen’s fellow Republicans. The assemblyman said he would meet with Commerce and Labor Committee Chairman Randy Kirner to discuss the future of the measure, which was heavily watered down through amendments by the contractor’s board.

“Because it’s symbolic, it’s not going to have a high priority,” Hansen said. “I don’t know what I’ll do with it.”

Hansen’s proposal has the potential to pose a quandary for Gov. Brian Sandoval, a moderate Republican who is walking the line between his political party and his Latino constituents.

Sandoval’s office didn’t respond to an inquiry Wednesday about his position on AB133. But Damore said the governor’s support of any bill perceived as harmful to the state’s immigrant community could put him at odds with the state’s powerful Hispanic voting bloc. According a Latino Decisions election-eve poll, Sandoval received the largest share of the Hispanic vote for any statewide candidate in the country.

“Democrats have been a majority, and Gov. Sandoval didn’t even have to deal with this type of legislation until now,” Damore said. “This is one of the consequences for him.”

Immigration is already a divisive topic among Nevada Republicans thanks to a decision by Attorney General Adam Laxalt last month to join a multistate coalition suing President Barack Obama’s contentious deportation deferral program. Laxalt brought Nevada into the suit without Sandoval’s support. The move incensed immigration advocates and split Nevada Republicans — some backed Laxalt while others, including Sandoval, argued that litigation was not the right way to challenge the president’s deal.

Through a spokeswoman, Sandoval has said he "continues to believe that the best course of action is a legislative solution rather than legal action.”

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