Senate panel passes immigration bill after 'major surgery'

“How can they gut this thing when the citizens of Kansas are calling 300 to one to leave it in its original form?”

A Senate committee passed an significantly revised illegal immigration reform bill today after performing what one sponsor called 'major surgery.'

The revised measure, now Substitute for Senate Bill 458, no longer requires businesses to check employees' work eligibility through the federal e-Verify system. It also removed most penalties for businesses that violate the law and would not eliminate in-state tuition for illegal immigrants who graduated from Kansas high schools.

Using e-Verify would shield businesses from penalties if they were caught employing illegal immigrants they had verified using the database. Read more