Senate Judiciary Committee Co-Chair Comments on Bankers Association Study of Illegal Immigration Law

Senator James A. Williamson, the co-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement regarding a study by the Oklahoma Bankers Association regarding House Bill 1804, Oklahomas illegal immigration law.

Oklahomas economy is stronger and in much better shape than the national economy, and were probably doing as well as ever here in Oklahoma. We certainly arent seeing any evidence that HB 1804 is negatively impacting our state economy. In fact, most Oklahomans believe that our state will benefit in the long run from the reforms contained in House Bill 1804, stated Williamson, R-Tulsa, the Senate author of House Bill 1804.

Even if a few businesses are impacted by a departure of illegals from Oklahoma, this will be more than offset by the positives to the taxpayers of Oklahoma. The legislation gets illegal aliens off of welfare, reduces the substantial costs of illegals to public education, and keeps illegals who have left the state from committing crimes or driving in Oklahoma without insurance. All of these public benefits were why the legislation passed by overwhelming margins in the House and Senate, said Williamson.

Note to editor: HB 1804 was passed by the Legislature in 2007. It eliminates welfare benefits and most other public assistance for illegal aliens, and mirrors federal laws that make it a crime to harbor, transport, or shelter an illegal alien. The Oklahoma Bankers Association claimed in its study that HB 1804 will have a negative impact on Oklahomas economy.