April 18, 2008
Contact:
 Anna Gustafson
717-787-2637
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Senate Update
by
Senator James J. Rhoades

Across the nation, many states are enacting tougher immigration laws to prevent illegal aliens from receiving public benefits that are intended only for taxpayers and citizens. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates that the current estimated cost to provide education, medical services and incarceration for illegal aliens in Pennsylvania is $285 million a year, and those costs are estimated to rise to $812 million by the year 2020.

Under current federal law, illegal aliens are prohibited from receiving public benefits with the exception of emergency care, necessary immunizations and disaster relief. However, Pennsylvania law is too lenient in enforcing these provisions, and I firmly believe that we need to do more to prevent the more than 100,000 illegal aliens in our state from taking unfair advantage of the benefits provided by our hard-working taxpayers.

Last week, I supported Senate passage of Senate Bill 9, legislation that would prevent illegal aliens from receiving public benefits such as Medicare, welfare and in-state college tuition discounts. The bill would require anyone requesting public benefits to provide identification to prove that they are legal residents. They would also be required to sign an affidavit to confirm their citizenship, and their affidavit would be verified through the Federal Systematic Alien Verification of Entitlement (SAVE) Program operated by the Department of Homeland Security.

It is important to note that this bill does not discriminate against individuals and families that have moved to Pennsylvania legally, nor does it punish individuals that are lawfully residing in our state. It also does not prevent immigrants from going through the legal process to obtain citizenship. We are blessed with a great deal of diversity in our Commonwealth, and this bill only ensures that benefits that we provide to our citizens are not given to those who are not entitled to receive them.
 

Senator Rhoades represents the 29th Senatorial District, which includes all of Schuylkill County and parts of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton Counties.