David Dreier, U.S. Representative from the 26th Congressional District of California
Disregarding complaints from civil libertarians that it was an anti-undocumented-immigrant measure, from security experts that it would decrease national and homeland security, and from governors and state legislatures that it was "a massive unfunded federal mandate," the U.S. Senate today unanimously approved a supplemental appropriations conference report containing the REAL ID Act of 2005, legislation that would, among other things, bar undocumented immigrants from legally obtaining a state driver's license.
As the REAL ID Act of 2005 headed down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House for President George W. Bush's signature, the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Wisconsin Republican F. James Sensenbrenner, the driving force behind the REAL ID Act of 2005, announced that it would be holding hearings on H.R. 98, the so-called Bonner Plan, a bill sponsored by California Congressman David Dreier that would require machine-readable Social Security cards and create an integrated "Employment Eligibility Database" indicating who is, and who isn't, legally entitled to work in the United States.
Machine-readable Social Security cards
This bill requires that "each Social Security card issued under this subparagraph shall include an encrypted machine-readable electronic identification strip which shall be unique to the individual to whom the card is issued."
Not a "national identification card"
Section 11(b) of H.R. 98, headed "No National Identification Card," states that "It is the policy of the United States that the Social Security card shall not be used as a national identification card."
Fifty million dollars to "combat illegal border crossings into the United States"
Section 7 of H.R. 98 authorizes the appropriation of "$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010" for purposes of making "grants for the purpose of improving and developing new technologies to combat illegal border crossings into the United States."
Integration of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint databases
Section 9 of H.R. 98 would "integrate the fingerprint database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security with the fingerprint database maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation," this integration to "be completed not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act."
Prohibition against hiring those not on the "Employment Eligibility Database"
H.R. 98 prohibits the hiring of any individual who has not secured for himself or herself a machine readable Social Security card and presented it to his or her prospective employer. All employers are prohibited from hiring anyone without such a card and must verify the identity of the prospective employee using the federal "Employment Eligibility Database." Employers who mistakenly violate the provisions of this law in good faith "shall not be liable for hiring an unauthorized alien" if he or she "terminates that employment of the alien upon being informed of the error."
$50,000 fine plus costs of "removing" the illegally-hired employee for each violation
Under the terms of H.R. 98, to ensure compliance with these provisions, "The Secretary of Homeland Security may assess a penalty, payable to the Secretary, against any employer who (i) hires an individual for employment in the United States in any capacity who is known by the employer not to be authorized to work in the United States in such capacity; or (ii) fails to comply with the procedures prescribed by the Secretary pursuant to this section in connection with the employment of any individual….Such penalty shall not exceed $50,000 for each occurrence of a violation described in subparagraph (A) with respect to the individual, plus, in the event of the removal of such individual from the United States based on findings developed in connection with the assessment or collection of such penalty, the costs incurred by the Federal Government, cooperating State and local governments, and State and local law enforcement agencies, in connection with such removal."
And up to 5 years in prison
Anyone in violation of these requirements may also be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
The hearings
The Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims of the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Bonner Plan, officially called the "Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act of 2005",
H.R. 98, will take place on Thursday, May 12, 2005, 2:00 p.m. ET in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC
Theatre criticism
To read a review about a play set in a "vaguely defined…unnamed totalitarian state" in which the reviewer criticizes the playwright on the grounds that he "seems to have set his play in that totalitarian state not to make a point about the subversive influence of art on tyrannical power structures, but simply so his cops can behave with the kind of casually outrageous brutality that would be absurd in a more civilized setting (and that he expects we'll find entertaining)," click
here.
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