When State Senator Scott Rupp of Wentzville submitted his illegal immigration bill, he expected a tough battle in the Missouri General Assembly.   After all, the U.S. Senate and House have had problems agreeing on the extent of the illegal immigration problem, and the federal government hasn’t been very aggressive in adhering to the letter of the federal immigration laws.

Imagine Rupp’s surprise when the bill gained first-round approval in roughly an hour.

That’s what happened Tuesday in Jefferson City , as the wide-ranging illegal immigration bill was forwarded by a voice vote among five lawmakers who were present for the vote.   Rupp’s bill will be refined by the Missouri Senate, before it is sent to the House for debate.

The illegal immigration bill would stipulate that employers who are working on state contracts or who are utilizing state grants, loans, or tax credits must use employees who are in a federal database of legal workers.   Those employers don’t have to subscribe to the E-Verify data base, but if they did, they might be given the benefit of the doubt if an illegal immigrant was found to be working at that employer’s place of business.

The bill sponsored by Senator Rupp also states that illegal immigrants would be prohibited from receiving welfare, food stamps, and college scholarships; and illegal aliens would not be allowed to attend public colleges and universities.

Joan Suarez, Chairperson of the Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates, says the illegal immigration bill is too wide-ranging, and it conflicts with federal law too much to make the bill enforceable at the state level.