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Politics : ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION THE FIGHT TO KEEP OUR DEMOCRACY -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: bentway who wrote (935)	6/16/2006 1:53:59 AM
From: Jim McMannis	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3197

Immigration debate snags Calif. budget talks By Jim Christie Thu Jun 15, 7:46 PM ET SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Thursday he expects lawmakers to pass a budget by month's end instead of meeting a June 15 deadline because of disagreements over whether the state should fund health care for illegal immigrant children. Lawmakers are by law required to pass a budget no later than June 15. But they have not done so since 1986 because there are no real consequences for missing the deadline. With over $7 billion more in state revenues than had been expected, many lawmakers initially had expected to break the two-decade-long streak of missed deadlines because this year they did not have to haggle over spending cuts. But last-minute differences emerged after a committee of lawmakers from both chambers of the Democrat-led legislature last weekend passed a spending plan to rival the Republican governor's $131.1 billion budget proposal for the 2006-07 fiscal year starting next month. Republicans, whose votes are needed for a two-thirds majority to pass a budget, balked at Democrat-backed provisions in the legislature's plan to boost spending on health-care for children, including children who are not legal immigrants. "It's a very bad idea," said Republican Assemblyman Rick Keene. "We would be giving legitimacy to folks who are here breaking the law." State Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman added: "We don't believe we should be setting up incentive programs to have more illegals come to California." Analysts say Republicans see taking a tough stand on illegal immigration as a winning political formula in many California legislative districts this election year. Last week, Republicans in a special election held onto the seat of a former San Diego Republican congressman by campaigning against illegal immigration. Democrats had hoped to win the seat by campaigning against corruption in Congress. Brian Bilbray, the district's new Republican U.S representative, earlier this week told fellow House members they could expect to hear more on illegal immigration from him because, he said, Washington is not doing enough to stop it. "Republicans took Bilbray's victory as a confirmation that a hard line on illegal immigration is a winner," said Jack Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. "Legislators are more likely to hear about that issue than if the budget is a week or two past its constitutional deadline. After 20 years, Californians are used to that." Democrats have political reasons for taking the opposing position as California is increasingly Hispanic because of legal and undocumented immigration, especially from Mexico. "A lot of Latinos are in Democratic districts," said Pitney, adding that many could become Democratic voters if the U.S. Congress approves an amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Democratic Assemblyman John Laird said the legal status of children should not be of concern in emergencies: "We shouldn't have doctors whose first question of a three-year-old brought into a hospital for meningitis is, 'Is he here illegally?"' At a press conference, Schwarzenegger outlined his position on the dispute, which is midway between what Democrat and Republican lawmakers want. He would fund programs already providing health care to children, including undocumented children, but not expand the programs because of the costs. "We should not politicize the children and drag them into this ... But I would not go in the direction of expanding the Healthy Family program because we cannot afford it," he said. Democrats and Republicans also are odds over whether to use about $1 billion to pay down debt or to build a reserve