Speaker Toma introduced HCR 2060 during this year’s legislative session to require the state and businesses utilization of the federal e-verify system for employment and benefits. The business community and other stakeholders worked with him to modify the bill’s intent and propose amendments that would have a less drastic impact on the business community. The HCR passed the Senate this week by a vote of 16-13. The measure will likely receive a vote from the House when they return to the legislature in early June.
President Petersen ultimately first read and assigned the HCR to Senate MAPS for a special hearing and a strike-everything amendment was proposed. The amendment outlines provisions for making illegal border crossings a state crime, falsely applying for state benefits as a non-citizen, and classifying the sale of lethal fentanyl a class 2 felony.
The HCR was met with opposition from various stakeholders including the Greater Phoenix Chamber citing the unintended economic consequences and the impact to Arizona’s reputation as a whole. GPC urged the legislature to work with the federal government to address the increasing concerns at the border with comprehensive legislation such as the proposal Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema introduced. The HCR passed committee on party-lines and received amendments within Committee of the Whole. The HCR will likely be further amended to address some specific concerns and is expected to receive a third read vote by the Senate early this week.