Senate Democrats Propose Penalties For Companies Hiring Illegal Immigrants

State Senate Democrats today announced plans to file legislation that will penalize companies that knowingly employ illegal immigrants and measures that would force drug companies to divulge how much they spend on advertising, lobbying and the salaries for top executives.

In announcing an “Agenda for a More Accountable Oklahoma,” Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan also called for annual performance review audits of state agencies to “make sure Oklahoma taxpayers are getting what they paid for.”

“For two weeks now, Senate Democrats have been promoting an agenda that will help foster a culture of greater personal responsibility in our state. But just as it is important for Oklahomans to take responsibility for their actions and their own futures, corporations doing business in our state and state government, itself, need to be held to higher standards of accountability,” Morgan said.

Morgan was joined in making Friday’s agenda announcements by Tulsa Democratic Senators Mary Easley, Tom Adelson and Judy Eason-McIntyre and Senator Kenneth Corn, D-Poteau.

Senator Tom Adelson, D-Tulsa, said Senate Democrats will file legislation requiring employers to verify the citizenship of all employees and impose fines on big corporations that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Estimates put the number of illegal immigrants in Oklahoma at approximately 85,000.

“Illegal immigration is a growing problem in our state as more and more people are sneaking into Oklahoma illegally to find work. It’s hard to blame people for looking for a job and the better life it will bring, but we have to stem this tide,” Adelson said.

“Employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers are the root of the problem. These workers take jobs from legal residents of Oklahoma and consume valuable state and community services.”

Making corporations accountable for hiring illegal immigrants is the one way to make a dent in the problem.

Senate Democrats will also propose legislation authorizing the Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers to detain illegal immigrants and work with federal agents to deport them, Adelson said.

Additionally, the proposal creates new divisions within the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs to deal specifically with illegal immigration and the importation of methamphetamines into Oklahoma.

Senator Judy Eason McIntyre announced plans by Senate Democrats for legislation requiring drug companies doing business in Oklahoma to divulge how much they spend on administration, marketing and lobbying to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.

Some national reports suggest that drug companies spend two-and-a-half times more money on advertising, lobbying and executives salaries than they do on research and development of new drugs.

“These are the same companies who are fighting efforts, like the one proposed by Governor Henry, to allow Oklahomans to purchase their prescription drugs at much lower prices from Canada,” Eason-McIntyre said. “Oklahomans need to know how much of the cost of their prescriptions is going into the pockets.”

Senator Kenneth Corn, D-Poteau, proposed annual performance audits for state agencies.

“We’re not talking about just a financial audit that determines whether money is being misspent. The audits we are proposing will determine whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth from state agencies,” Corn said.

He said having the auditor and inspector perform the audits will allow a third-party – not someone in the Legislature or someone from the agency – to use objective criteria to determine if the agency is providing the services that it’s supposed to provide.

“Agencies may not like it, but government should be accountable to the people who pay the bills,” Corn said.