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Viewing Category: Economy
Court finds law on hiring illegals exceeds authorityA federal court ruling that struck down a tough anti-immigrant ordinance in a Pennsylvania city may help Arizona businesses void this state’s new employer sanctions law.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration, Judiciary]The federal judge in the Hazleton, Pa., case decided Thursday that officials acted beyond the scope of their authority in approving a measure designed to combat illegal immigration by denying business permits to companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers. Judge James Munley said that power is strictly reserved for the federal government.
Attorney David Selden said Munley’s conclusions are the same as the arguments he has filed in U.S. District Court here challenging the Arizona statute.
Posted by Editor at 10:11 AM
Kyl, McCain try again to win OK for new mine near SuperiorMESA — U.S. Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain have introduced legislation for the third year in a row that would allow a new copper mine to be developed over a huge mineral deposit outside Superior.Permalink [Filed under: Economy, Kyl, McCain, Mining]The mine project proposed by Resolution Copper Mining, the Arizona joint subsidiary of Britain's Rio Tinto and Australia's BHP Billiton, needs the legislation to pass to acquire federal land over the underground mine site.
The bill introduced Tuesday by the two Arizona Republicans would give Resolution Copper about 3,025 acres three miles east of Superior in exchange for seven parcels totaling 4,583 acres of environmentally sensitive land throughout Arizona.
Posted by Editor at 01:18 AM
Analyst: Legal-worker system can handle Ariz. inquiriesA federal analyst said Monday the Basic Pilot Program to check the legal status of new employees will not be overwhelmed by a new Arizona law requiring all companies to use it.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration]And he said the error rate is nowhere near as high as some have claimed.
Michael Mayhew, who works for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, acknowledged the system, which verifies whether someone can legally work in this country, handled nearly 2 million inquiries last fiscal year from more than 19,000 companies. By contrast, there are an estimated 130,000 firms in Arizona that will be required to use the federal database beginning next year.
Posted by Editor at 07:58 AM
Employer-sanctions law: Murky or easy to enforce?Arizona's stiff new employer- sanction law delivered a clear message to companies — hire legal workers or else.
Backing that threat with action, though, will be an arduous task.
The law, which would revoke state licenses for companies that are found to have "knowingly" or "intentionally" hired illegal workers, faces a myriad of hurdles. A lawsuit has already been filed challenging its constitutionality. If it survives that, a host of other logistical issues await.
"It's going to be difficult to figure out exactly what we need to do, and how we need to do this," said Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall. "What is a complaint? What is the burden of proof you need to prove it in court? I'm still not quite sure exactly what an investigation needs to consist of."
Posted by Editor at 09:53 PM
Immigration reform activist plans Super Bowl boycottAn organizer of two marches for immigration reform is planning a Hispanic boycott of jobs during next year’s Super Bowl week in hopes of crippling the state’s restaurant and hotel industry.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration]Elias Bermudez said the decision follows passage of a new state law to crack down on companies that hire undocumented workers. That law is supposed to take effect Jan. 1 — just weeks before the Feb. 8 Super Bowl at University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale.
But Bermudez, president of Inmigrantes Sin Fronteras — Immigrants Without Borders — said the boycott is really the culmination of frustration with a series of what he sees as antiimmigrant measures enacted in Arizona, many approved by voters by large margins.
Posted by Editor at 08:08 PM
Restaurant group joins action against employer sanctions lawAn Arizona food industry group has joined a business lawsuit asking the federal courts to throw out a new state law that punishes companies caught hiring illegal immigrants.The Arizona Restaurant & Hospitality Association said Thursday it was joining the Arizona Contractors Association and Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform in their lawsuit against the employer sanctions law.
The state approved the employer sanctions law earlier this month. It suspends or revokes the licenses of businesses caught knowingly and intentionally hiring illegal immigrants. The sanctions push has strong support from conservatives in the Legislature and does well in public opinion polls.
Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration, Legislature]
Posted by Editor at 07:32 AM
Other strategies emerging to overturn employer sanction lawPHOENIX -- Some Arizona business owners hope to convince the state's non-Hispanic majority it is in their interest to quash any laws that punish companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration, Labor, Legislature]Mac Magruder who heads the Wake Up Arizona! coalition, said Tuesday the new statute will have "devastating unintended consequence" on the state's economy. And he said the effects will be broader than just driving out the possible 500,000 people in this state illegally. "When brown people lose their jobs, white people will lose their jobs," he said.
He noted the law, which takes effect Jan. 1, allows a judge to suspend a firm's license to do business for up to 10 days. A second violation within three years results in permanent loss of the right to do business in Arizona.
Posted by Editor at 07:45 AM
Napolitano: Illegal-hire bill can be fixedPHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano is brushing aside complaints by some businesses of financial ruin if a new employer sanctions law takes effect.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Governor, Immigration, Legislature]"There's a lot of predictions of doom and gloom," the governor said Wednesday. But Napolitano said she does share all of those concerns.
She also said if there are problems they can be fixed. In fact, she already has a list of changes she believes the Legislature should make before the law takes effect Jan. 1. The governor also sought to downplay the criticism she is getting for signing the law. Most recently a group organized as Wake Up Arizona said the flaws in the measure are so obvious that she should have vetoed it.
Posted by Editor at 07:39 AM
Business bloc takes aim at new lawA group of Arizona businesses is trying to persuade the public that a new immigration law, intended to punish companies that hire illegal immigrants, could kill jobs and wreck the state’s economy.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration, Labor]The group, called Wake Up Arizona!, launched a publicrelations campaign Tuesday saying it’s considering a ballot initiative to counter the law, considered one of the toughest in the nation. Starting next year, companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers will have their state business licenses suspended or revoked.
Mac Magruder, chairman of the group and owner of a chain of McDonald’s franchises, said the law will cripple local economies and cause job losses that will affect both illegal immigrants and legal residents.
Posted by Editor at 07:57 AM
New immigration law has bosses in a stewJim Murphy knows seafood, burgers and how to run a bar. Now he wonders whether he'll have to be an expert on immigration law.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration]The owner of Kingfisher Bar & Grill and Bluefin Seafood Bistro in Tucson employs up to 100 people, depending on the season.
He fears that a new state law will be just one more headache for small businesses, albeit a possibly fatal one.
Posted by Editor at 07:34 AM
Suit filed to block employer sanctionsPHOENIX -- Two business groups filed suit Friday to block a new employer sanctions law from taking effect.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration, Judiciary, Legislature]The lawsuit contends that the measure, approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Janet Napolitano, illegally intrudes on issues of immigration which are exclusively the purview of the federal government.
In legal papers filed in U.S. District Court here, attorney David Selden also said the legislation runs afoul of the state constitution. That's because it requires county prosecutors to investigate every complaint made that a company is knowingly hiring undocumented workers, something Selden said lawmakers cannot mandate.
Posted by Editor at 10:15 PM
Report: Immigrant work force worth billionsIf all noncitizen workers were removed from Arizona's workforce, economic output would drop annually by at least $29 billion, according to a University of Arizona study released Wednesday.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration]That group, which is mostly illegal immigrants, represents 8.2 percent of the state's economic activity, the study found.
The report also found that Arizona's legal and illegal immigrants generated nearly $44 billion in output.
Posted by Editor at 09:39 AM
Az faces hurdles enforcing employer sanction lawEnacting a strict employer-sanctions law is one thing, but enforcing it may be quite another.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration]Arizona now has the toughest law in the land for cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Those employers can lose their businesses if investigators can prove they knowingly make illegal hires more than once.
Proving the case against a business, however, is going to require unprecedented cooperation among federal, state and local officials.At the heart of the law is a federal database called Basic Pilot, which is managed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency. The program compares Social Security numbers and personal IDs and flags discrepancies.
Posted by Editor at 07:57 AM
Employer sanctions force some migrants to weigh leaving AzSergio Arellanes was back on the job Tuesday, pouring cement for a new home in Ahwatukee in the scorching heat.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration]But he and other illegal immigrants spent the day contemplating their fate in Arizona after the governor signed a bill that could put companies out of businesses for hiring them.
News of the law, believed to be the toughest of its kind in the country, sent a shock wave through the immigrant community. It spread far and fast as illegal immigrants braced for the possibility that they may soon lose their jobs if skittish employers begin culling workers wholesale rather than facing the possibility of losing their business licenses, the penalty for a second offense under the measure.
Posted by Editor at 07:56 AM
Regrets on sanctions billSen. Jake Flake, R-Snowflake, said today he regrets his vote in favor of the employer-sanctions bill that Gov. Janet Napolitano signed into law Monday.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Immigration, Legislature]"Frankly, I'm sorry I voted for it," said Flake, a rancher from eastern Arizona.
That's because he fears the impact the new law will have on employment, especially in the agriculture sector. Already, lettuce growers in the Yuma area have had trouble finding enough workers, he said, citing hiring problems in the last season.
Posted by Editor at 07:45 AM
Napolitano ends city retailer battlesThe war among Valley cities for retailers is over. Gov. Janet Napolitano signed legislation Monday to bar cities from using sales-tax rebates and other incentives to lure shopping centers and retailers to their communities.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Governor, Legislature]The governor acknowledged the measure affects only communities in Maricopa and Pinal counties. But she said that kind of special treatment for the state’s largest counties was merited because of a history of expensive bidding wars.
The bill was one of 34 that Napolitano addressed Monday with her signature, a veto or her tacit approval. It was the last day she had to review bills from this year’s session.
Posted by Editor at 09:45 AM
Governor OKs tough employer sanctionsPHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano signed a bill Monday that will create some of the toughest sanctions in the country for companies that hire illegal immigrants, breaking from some of her political allies who have opposed the measure.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Governor, Immigration, Legislature]But her approval was coupled with a list of concerns that immediately sparked dialogue about the Legislature reconvening to address what Napolitano called "flaws" in the bill.
In a statement Napolitano said, "Immigration is a federal responsibility, but I signed HB 2779 because it is now abundantly clear that Congress finds itself incapable of coping with the comprehensive immigration reforms our country needs.
Posted by Editor at 09:01 AM
Governor Napolitano to meet with oil CompaniesFrustrated with Lack of Answers from the Western States Petroleum Association
PHOENIX – Governor Janet Napolitano recently met with representatives of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) to discuss rising gas prices across Arizona. The Governor left the meeting with unanswered questions and the decision to meet with each of the major oil companies that does business in Arizona. “Arizonans have a right to know why gas prices are on the rise and I intend to get a clear answer straight from the source – the oil companies,” Governor Napolitano said.During her meeting with WPSA, Governor Napolitano discussed refinery outages and a recent decision by the Tesoro Corporation to halt one refinery’s fuel supply to Arizona. Arizona currently receives fuel via pipelines from refineries in Texas and California.
The Governor also encouraged WSPA members to invest in the construction of new fuel refineries, such as the refinery in Yuma County. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has issued permits for the construction of a refinery in Yuma County by 2011. That refinery would be the first new refinery in the nation in more than 30 years.
Continue reading "Governor Napolitano to meet with oil Companies"
Permalink [Filed under: Economy, Energy, Governor]Posted by Editor at 08:47 AM
Napolitano postpones action on immigrant worker billGov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that she has made a decision on whether to veto an Arizona bill to crack down on businesses that hire undocumented workers.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Governor, Immigration, Legislature]But she said she won't announce her decision until next week, when the Senate is expected to be done working on federal immigration legislation.
Napolitano, a Democrat, spoke from Washington, where she travelled to help lobby for passage of the bill. After a speech Wednesday morning, she said the outcome could influence how she handles the Arizona legislation - but not the decision she has made.
Posted by Editor at 07:51 AM
Bill eases wage rules for hiring the disabledState lawmakers voted Tuesday to give some additional legal protections to firms that employ the disabled but don’t pay them the new votermandated minimum wage.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Disabled, Economy, Labor, Legislature]HB2245 spells out that these companies cannot be prosecuted if they are following the guidance of a new policy adopted earlier this year by the state Industrial Commission. That policy redefined what is an “employee,” meaning who is covered — and who is not — by the new law.
Posted by Editor at 07:43 AM
Napolitano gets illegal-hiring billPHOENIX — The Legislature on Wednesday passed a comprehensive plan that would put firms that repeatedly and knowingly hire illegal immigrants out of business in Arizona.Permalink [Filed under: Economy, Governor, Immigration, Labor, Legislature]The bill says a single violation could suspend a company's state licenses for up to 10 days. But House Bill 2779 also would let judges waive that penalty based on factors ranging from the number of illegal workers employed to the duration of employment.
Companies also would be able to present evidence that their directors or officers were not involved in the hiring. But a second violation within three years would mean permanent revocation of state licenses.
Posted by Editor at 07:34 AM
Developers' tax breaks would be curbed in billThe state Legislature on Tuesday revived a bill that would punish cities that lure retail developers with tax breaks.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Legislature, Taxes]Lawmakers want to discourage municipalities from bidding against one another to get developments in their boundaries.
The proposal, which was approved by the Senate and House in slightly different versions, fell off the radar for months and sprung back to life this week, just as lawmakers are preparing to finish up their work for the session.
Posted by Editor at 06:53 AM
Governor signs bill turning mortgage fraud into a crimePHOENIX - Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has signed a bill into law that makes mortgage fraud a crime amid recent concerns of home prices being artificially inflated to benefit real estate insiders and unscrupulous buyers.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Governor, Legislature]State regulators have described cash-back schemes in which buyers use inflated appraisals to obtain mortgages for more than homes are worth, then split the extra money with real estate agents, appraisers and mortgage brokers.
Lenders can end up with bad loans, and inflated mortgages can affect property values throughout neighborhoods. The new law, signed Wednesday by Napolitano, will take effect later this year.
Posted by Editor at 07:03 AM
Senate approves bill to hike Arizona workers' injury benefitsPHOENIX - The Senate on Monday approved a workers' compensation bill to carry out a business-labor compromise to increase Arizona's caps on benefits received by employees who are hurt on the job.Permalink [Filed under: Economy, Labor, Legislature]The Senate's 24-2 vote sends the bill (HB2195) to the House, which previously considered a version of the bill without the caps increase.
Under the bill, raising the current cap would benefit workers making more than $28,800 annually.
Posted by Editor at 12:27 AM
Arizona legislators approve bill to make mortgage fraud a crimePHOENIX - Arizona lawmakers approved a proposal Monday to make mortgage fraud a crime amid concerns about home prices being artificially inflated to benefit real-estate industry insiders and unscrupulous buyers.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Economy, Legislature]The Senate voted 26-0 for the bill, which now goes to Gov. Janet Napolitano.
It would make residential mortgage fraud a felony punishable by up three years in prison for a first offense, with tougher penalties imposed if a person engages in a pattern _ or conspires to do so _ of residential mortgage fraud.
Posted by Editor at 12:14 AM
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