From the Office of Senator Gerald Dial
MONTGOMERY- Senator Gerald Dial (R)- Dist. 13 Lineville, announces his pre-filing legislation to modify several areas of the Alabama Immigration Law.
Statement from Senator Dial:
After passing HB 56 last Session, it became clear that there were several unintended consequences from the legal authority of the bill to the ability to even enforce various aspects of it.
We have had a year to listen to our constituents concerns, many of them are humanitarian in nature such as providing services to those in need. We have heard our farmers and small businesses plea for help in planting and harvesting their crops. We have heard our teachers and their stories of American students who were once confidents and engaged, afraid to go to school due to circumstances beyond their control.
I began working with Attorney General Luther Strange to develop a package of modifications that will save Alabama tax payers millions of dollars in legal fees fighting something that our Attorney General already knows cannot be won.
My bill includes a provision that will allow our churches and other good Samaritans to continue the efforts for the less fortunate without the fear of legal repercussions. In a State that has a proud tradition of neighbors helping neighbors rebuild after storms and disasters, those efforts have always made me proud. These groups do not ask about race, income or citizenship before they start helping a family in need, nor should they risk misdemeanor or felony charges.
We must make these modifications, not only because it’s the legal way to enforce immigration issues, but to send a message to our citizens, and to potential economic development partners. Alabama has embraced the value of a diverse workforce and we are ready to get focused on bringing jobs to our state. None of the provisions in my bill would encourage illegal immigration. I still support enforcing our laws to protect our residents and I am not in support of spending hundreds of millions of dollars, which we do not have, on litigation we simply cannot win in court.
I would ask my fellow Legislators to join me, by putting their egos aside and applying “Common Sense” in making these needed changes.
