House State Government Committee Advances Legislation to Criminalize Human Smuggling and Protect PA Jobs
HARRISBURG —Pennsylvania House State Government Committee Majority Chairman
Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) commended the decisive majority of committee
members who voted with him today in bipartisan fashion to advance two more essential reforms from the National Security Begins at Home package (House Bill 856 and Senate Bill 637) to the House floor for consideration.
House Bill 856 would establish a third-degree felony against any individual who knowingly engages in human smuggling. Previously adopted in the state Senate, Senate Bill 637 would require that all contractors and subcontractors performing work on taxpayer-funded projects verify their employees’ eligibility to work in Pennsylvania through the federal government’s free E-verify system.
“Shutting down Pennsylvania’s illegal alien invasion involves shutting off the economic faucets of jobs and public benefits that are enticing illegal aliens to infiltrate our borders in the first place,” said Metcalfe. “Both of the commonsense reforms advanced to the House floor today and those in previous weeks are specifically focused on protecting the lives, liberty, property and jobs of Pennsylvania citizens against foreign invasion. Once these economic attractions are severed at the source, Pennsylvania’s estimated 140,000 illegal alien invaders will have no other option but to self-deport, as is occurring in several other states that have taken similar legislative action, including as Arizona, Georgia and Alabama.”
Additional
National Security Begins at Home legislation approved by the House State
Government Committee and currently awaiting consideration on the House floor includes:
•
House Bill 439, scheduled for second consideration on the House floor Wednesday,
would terminate the professional license of any employer who knowingly hires an
illegal alien.
•
House Bill 865 would establish legal and economic sanctions against any illegal
alien “sanctuary city.”
•
House Bill 798 would require the Pennsylvania State Police to maintain criminal
history records of previously detained illegal aliens.
The
Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) confirms that final passage of the
National Security Begins at Home package could save Pennsylvania taxpayers
$1.4 billion annually.
“Whether they invade Pennsylvania to smuggle drugs, steal jobs or to leech off the Commonwealth’s over-generous public welfare system, each and every illegal alien’s first step across our border is a criminal violation of our nation’s immigration laws,” said Metcalfe. “Since the federal government remains AWOL in fulfilling its constitutional obligation to defend the states against foreign invasion, Pennsylvania state lawmakers have no choice but to stand together to advance the National Security Begins at Home package.”
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State Representative Daryl Metcalfe
12th District, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Contact: Ty McCauslin
tmccausl@pahousegop.com
717.772.9979