Republicans on the House Economic Affairs Committee withstood heavy opposition from business interests and Bible-quoting migrants to approve an immigration reform bill Thursday.

While Democrats tried to portray House Bill 7089 as the second coming of Arizona's controversial law, sponsor Bill Snyder said his Florida bill legally balances border enforcement and employment verification.

"Enforcement provisions are not triggered by a traffic stop. There is no requirement to carry documentation, as there is in Arizona's law," said Snyder, R-Stuart. "It merely states that if, during a criminal investigation, there is reasonable suspicion" about illegal presence, a separate immigration charge can be filed.

The second part of the bill requires employers to use the federal E-Verify screening database when hiring workers.

The Senate Budget Committee, which was initially scheduled to hear an alternative E-Verify bill, postponed action until after the Easter recess, pending the submission of late amendments.

While waiting for amendments, Senate committee members reportedly want Gov. Rick Scott to weigh in on the issue. Scott, via executive order, has already ordered agencies under his control to use E-Verify.

Unlike the House E-Verify bill, the Senate version gives employers the option of using a driver's license check to vet job applicants.

Business groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Florida, along with the state's agricultural industry, oppose both the House and Senate bills.

At Thursday's House committee hearing, AIF representative Brewster Bevis called E-Verify "costly and flawed." He cited a 2008 government study that found 54 percent of E-Verify approvals turned out to be undocumented workers in possession of fraudulent identification papers.

But Bevis also acknowledged that the system "does work for some businesses."

Additionally, the 54 percent figure is an estimate from a 2008 sample, which has since been updated. When the percentage of unauthorized workers who are incorrectly authorized due to document fraud is applied to the entire set of queries, the figure is 3.3 percent, according to the latest government data.

Business issues notwithstanding, Thursday's meeting took surreal turns at times, with a rabbi invoking images of the Holocaust and a law student, claiming to be in the state illegally, announcing he would not call police if he were the victim of a crime. A self-proclaimed "anarchist" also got up to bash the bill.

At one point, an immigration proponent from the packed committee room took the microphone to "pray for Mr. Snyder."

Rep. Brad Drake, R-DeFuniack Springs, went toe-to-toe with Scripture-quoting immigration enthusiasts who recited biblical verses to justify illegal border crossings.

Drake applauded Snyder for "being bold and standing up for the law."

Democratic opposition was scattershot. Taking the unusual stand of siding with business representatives, some members argued that HB 7089 wouldn't create jobs. Others declared that immigration enforcement was the exclusive purview of the federal government.

Still others insisted that the bill would lead to racial profiling by authorities.

"A careful review of this bill shows that it does not open the door to racial profiling. It gives law enforcement another tool they can use," responded Snyder. a former law-enforcement officer who has announced he will run for Martin County sheriff in 2012.

The knee-jerk opposition by Democrats -- who voted unanimously against the measure -- puzzled Dave Caulkett, of Floridians for Immigration Enforcement.

"The poorest workers, the people Democrats presume to represent, are disproportionately affected by illegal aliens," Caulkett said, noting that the E-Verify provision is designed to reserve employment for legal residents.

"The underground system we have now simply promotes oppression," Caulkett said.

Snyder took umbrage at the parade of critics who implied that he and his bill were "anti-immigrant."

"There are people who are living in the shadows so we can eat our salads and get our lawns mowed. They are the victims of a broken system. This bill will be a step in a direction to stop these human-rights issues."

As for himself, Snyder said he didn't need help from above.

"I do not believe Scripture has any place in a debate like this. To use it as a sword diminishes the argument. We're a land of laws. We are a sovereign state, and we have a right, morally and legally, to maintain that sovereignty with this statute," Snyder concluded.

HB 7089 cleared the House Judiciary Committee last month and now moves a step closer to the House floor.

--

Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.