May 25, 2010

Speaker Fox Does a Volte Face on Hearing Palumbo's Arizona-style Illegal Immigration Bill (But the Rally is Still on Thursday)

Monique Chartier

Question for State House observers: is it true that this is the first time that a bill has been pulled after it was scheduled for a hearing?

House Speaker Gordon D. Fox decided Monday that Rep. Peter Palumbo’s controversial Arizona-style bill on immigration will not be heard this session.

"The speaker opposes this and feels it’s better addressed federally. We’re not going to hear it this year," said Larry Berman, spokesman for the House of Representatives. Palumbo could not be reached for comment.

The bill filed by Palumbo, D-Cranston, mirrored legislation signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer last month that is considered the toughest such law in the country. It would require the police to determine the immigration status of a person involved in a lawful stop "where reasonable suspicion exists" that they are in the country illegally, and would criminalize failure to carry alien registration documents.

Pro-illegal immigration advocates were to have held a rally late this morning in Central Falls, inexplicably terming this a victory over racial profiling. Inasmuch as the model for Palumbo's bill, the Arizona law, and the original template, the federal immigration law, have nothing whatever to do with racial profiling, they will be celebrating, not a hollow victory, but a completely non-existent one.

By the way, the rally at the State House 4 pm Thursday in support of this bill and of silly notions like sovereignty and honoring those immigrants who respected our process to come here is decidedly still on.

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The speaker "feels it's better addressed federally."

That's our problem, the speaker spends all of his time "feeling" instead of "thinking."

Posted by: John at May 25, 2010 4:32 PM

Palumbo pushed this bill and encouraged a rally-will he even be there?
I haven't read the bill,but a bill he submitted a few years ago on immigration could've used some revision.
It's a minefield and state bills addressing immigration have to be carefully reviewed to see if they are overstepping bounds by assigning the state a function not reserved to it in the Constitution.I am a supporter of the 10th Amendment,but it's not a green light for anything one wants.
Let the commie scumbags("advocates") have their little "victory" dance.It is far from over and I think they'll be on the losing end.This issue will play out nationally.

Posted by: joe bernstein at May 25, 2010 6:00 PM

Joe the illegals and their anti-American leftist native toadies held their "victory" party (maybe 30 losers in attendance including Rappleye) in the corrupt slum of Central Falls. Water seeking its' own level yet again. lol

Btw was flipping around the news channels at 6 when I came across a glaring example of blatant lefty media bias from (surprise) Channel 1 Moscow....err Channel 10.
Check out the poll question they're pushing on their news. And they wonder why more and more people think they're illegitimate?

The anti-immigration bill introduced by Rep. Peter Palumbo which mirrors the Arizona bill will not go forward. Do you think the bill should have been heard?
Yes
No

Posted by: Tim at May 25, 2010 6:44 PM

> (maybe 30 losers in attendance including Rappleye) in the corrupt slum of Central Falls.

Proof positive that not many people except those here listen to and take orders from WPRO.
Nor do many care.
How many showed up at the teabaggers rally?

Meantime, you hero Obama sent 1200 troops to the border today. Have you been posting positive blog entries about that?

I rest my case. You could care less about real action, preferring the idea of scapegoating which has worked on the uneducated masses for thousands of years.

Please join the 21st century and be part of the solution, as opposed to those who can do nothing themselves, but find fault with everyone else.

Posted by: Stuart at May 25, 2010 7:48 PM

Tim-of course they should have heard the bill,for better or worse.What it seems is that the powers that be in the GA don't care one iota about public input from anyone but the special interests who keep them in office.
There may be weak points in the bill-and valid ones too.maybe some amendments could have made it workable.We don't need a carbon copy of the Arizona-we have a lesser degree of imminent chaos here.We do ned close police/ICE cooperation in the criminal activity sphere.
Stuart-your answer is weird.Read it over and try to figure out what you wanted to say.

Posted by: joe bernstein at May 25, 2010 8:23 PM

Stuart writes:

"Meantime, you hero Obama sent 1200 troops to the border today. Have you been posting positive blog entries about that?"

We have never had great luck with sending troops to the border with Mexico, it too often it suits Mexico's purposes. Too often, Mexico was in chaos as it is now. Military action tends to deflect Mexican thoughts and focus them on the "Yanquis". Next thing you know, Mexico will re-enter talks with Japan to lease Baja California.

Of course, George Patton did get some marvelous pictures of the three dead mexicans across the hood of his Dodge

Posted by: Warrington Faust at May 25, 2010 9:26 PM

Stuey why do you libs continuously disrespect and insult gay men with your teabaggers reference? It's not very tolerant of you lefties. lol
Ordering 1200 troops to our southern border is a photo-op and nothing more. Obama desperately needs to look like he's doing something other than taking vacations and appearing at fundraisers. Sadly for the Layabout in Chief that oil stain on his hands ain't never going away.

Joe of course the powers in the GA don't care about the public. Why should they? They have raped and pillaged this state into oblivion and get re-elected time after time. No one knows just how genuinely stupid the average RI voter is more than sitting members of the Gen Ass.

Posted by: Tim at May 26, 2010 7:38 AM

I think the bill should have been heard, if Palumbo got it in on time. But since he didn't he really can't complain. It is really kinda funny that someone who is for enforcing rules doesn't even follow them, and then cries when he doesn't get his way. I am sure he will put it in next year and (if he gets it in on time, as there is no excuse not to) he will have a hearing.

Posted by: swazool at May 26, 2010 10:00 AM

"if Palumbo got it in on time"

Interesting point, Swazool. Actually, Palumbo has zero power in the matter. In fact, it was Speaker Fox who authorized this hearing knowing full well it was past the date for hearings.

Your question, then, needs to be directed to him: why did he do so, only to change his mind when things got a little heated?

Posted by: Monique at May 26, 2010 1:12 PM

"Actually, Palumbo has zero power in the matter. "

Palumbo had zero power in the matter? If he had the bill in on time then there would be no excuse to not have a hearing. When you don't follow the rules you give them a reason not to hear your bill. If he did follow the rules, he would have had the bill heard and then it would have been "tabled for further review", but to complain that the bill was not heard when you didn't follow the rules in the first place doesn't give you a leg to stand on. Let him put it in next year, on time, and there will be no reason to not have a hearing.....before tabling it for further review!

Posted by: swazool at May 26, 2010 4:37 PM

With idiots like the Tea Party leaders now enjoying their 15 minutes of fame, it is nice to see people stand up to what are essentially vile, racist, and numbnuts attempts to degrade society as a whole.

Posted by: MB at May 26, 2010 9:39 PM

A law should be passed so everyone should have to show their ID if they want to buy food. That way we can starve the illegals out of our state.

Posted by: Mr. White at May 27, 2010 10:10 AM

MB has lifted his comment directly from the "Philip and Jorge's Cool Cool World"column in the Phoenix.How original;
If you're gonna plagiarize,why pick the town idiots to copy from?

Posted by: joe bernstein at May 30, 2010 12:00 AM