The Alabama Senate on Thursday approved three bills targeting illegal immigration, one of Republicans’ priorities for this legislative session.
Democrats largely voted against the bills and were able to successfully make a few amendments; they did not filibuster their supermajority colleagues.
The body first and quickly approved Sen. Lance Bell’s Senate Bill 63, requiring law enforcement agencies to fingerprint and get DNA samples from undocumented immigrants in their custody. The prints and samples would be turned over to state law enforcement.
“By collecting the DNA from illegal aliens that are committing crimes, we can add them to our database in order to track their movement,” Bell later told Alabama Daily News.
Senate Bill 53, as originally written, created the crime of human smuggling if someone transports into Alabama someone they know or reasonably should have known is an undocumented immigrant. It would be a Class C felony.
A substitute version adopted in the Senate removes the “should have known.”
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, successfully offered an amendment clarifying that attorneys transporting clients to court and educators transporting students for educational purposes won’t be in violation of the law.
Kitchens’ bill also specifies the steps jails must take to determine the immigration status of those they detain and get them into federal custody if they are not in the country legally.
It was approved on a 24-8 vote with every Democrat against it. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, was originally one of the co-sponsors. He told Alabama Daily News Thursday he had hoped more changes would be made to the bill to “not show indifference.”
“I could not support it in that form,” he said.
The chamber also approved Senate Bill 55, by Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine. It changes current law to say Alabama will not recognize out-of-state driver’s licenses that are issued to people who did not prove their legal status at the time of issuance.
“Those licenses that are issued by other states that don’t require you to prove you’re here legally,” Elliott said on the Senate floor.
He said the penalty for presenting one of those licenses in Alabama would be a citation, the same as someone driving without a license would receive.
Singleton successfully offered an amendment that said a citation would not be issued if the person had other documentation proving their legal status.
Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, said people entering the state should be aware of the new law, should it get final approval, and suggested signage at the state’s borders.
“I’d love nothing more to have a sign that says, ‘If you’re here illegally, turn around,’” Elliott said.
The bill was amended to say signage will be installed giving notice of the law anywhere there is a sign welcoming people to Alabama.
The bills now move to the House, where they have companion legislation.
The Senate did not vote on Sen. April Weaver’s Senate Bill 77 to put additional fees on wire transfers out of the country. Taxpayers would get their fees back in the form of a tax credit when they file their state tax returns.
Legislation that could increase state revenues has to start in the House.