But of the 29 bills filed in the Maryland General Assembly since 2005 that have sought to crack down in some way on illegal immigration, none has made it out of committee. Last year's hot debate on immigration was over whether to give a new public benefit to illegal immigrants - in-state college tuition - not whether to take benefits away. The bill narrowly failed.
House Speaker Michael E. Busch said he didn't believe any of the bills against illegal immigrants filed this year would make it out of committee. It's not the role of the states to find a solution to the problem, he said.
"What a lot of states have tried to do over the years ... hasn't been very successful," he said, noting that federal law requires that those who can't prove legal status be allowed to enter public schools and receive treatment at hospitals.
The 20 bills filed so far this year in Maryland include proposals to immediately require Marylanders to show proof of legal status to obtain a driver's license (regulations that would not otherwise kick in until 2010); and prohibit illegal immigrants from being released before trial, from paying in-state tuition or receiving any public benefits other than those required by law.
Even Republican sponsors of the bills said they don't expect them to pass, despite the fact that the driver's license proposal has 58 co-sponsors in the House of Delegates.
The lead sponsor of that legislation, Del. Ron George, said the proposal failed last year in the House Judiciary Committee and probably will again.
"We file these bills every year because we feel we have the votes on the House floor," said George, an Anne Arundel County Republican. "We want to get to the floor to debate these issues, but they never seem to get past the committee chair."
Joseph F. Vallario Jr., the Judiciary chairman and a Calvert and Prince George's County Democrat, predicted the driver's license bill would fail again this year, as would the other proposals.
Instead, several Democrats have said they want to create a commission that would study the impact of immigrants in Maryland.
Sen. Richard Madaleno, the bill's sponsor, cited a 2006 study completed by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on the costs and benefits of Hispanic immigrants for North Carolina, which found that it had a $9 billion economic impact, far outweighing any costs to the state.
"Republicans have been putting in quite inflammatory measures to scare people," said Madaleno, a Montgomery County Democrat. "What this bill does is create a task force to look at all the benefits and costs of immigrants in the state, both legal and illegal."
But opponents of illegal immigration are undeterred. Del. Patrick L. McDonough, one of the most active advocates in the legislature for immigration restrictions, said last week that if the General Assembly doesn't act this year, he'll sue.
bradley.olson@baltsun.com
