Illegal immigration, a major issue for 2008 session
By Bobby Harrell Speaker of the House

Last year was a ground breaking year for your S.C. Legislature. We passed major reforms to our state's Department of Transportation and Workers' Compensation systems, expanded the LIFE and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships, and put more money back in your pocket by cutting the income tax and eliminating the unfair grocery tax.

In 2008, as we head into the second half of our two- year legislative session, your 117th General Assembly seems poised to pass an ambitious agenda geared towards moving our state forward.

Since we adjourned last spring, I traveled all over our state and talked with citizens, community and business leaders, and fellow lawmakers in order to get a good idea of your concerns and what we can do to better our state and the lives of our citizens.

We have heard about the issue of our rapidly growing illegal alien population. The number of illegal immigrants in S.C. has exploded in the last decade, 15 fold from the estimated 5,000 that were here 10 years ago. To date, there are an estimated 75,000 illegal immigrants residing in our state, and that number is growing fast.

You have a right to be concerned about this. From what we know and can calculate, illegal immigration is costing S.C. taxpayers over $186 million a year. A cost that will grow exponentially if nothing is done.

The overwhelming issue of the 2008 session will be illegal immigration reform. We plan to deal with it in the House of Representatives early in the session.

Despite the best efforts of Senator DeMint and Senator Graham, the Congress has been unable to get behind a solution, and our national borders remain wide open. If we want something done, we're going to have to do it ourselves. States are recognizing this fact and are acting to fill the void Congress has left us.

Oklahoma and Georgia are two of the most recent states to pass strict, comprehensive illegal immigration laws. These laws are working. In Oklahoma alone, it is estimated 25,000 illegal aliens left the state since the adoption of the new law.

Georgia is our next- door neighbor. If our state does not take action while our neighboring states continue to, S.C. will become a safe haven for illegal aliens, and our taxpayers will heavily bear that cost.

This is something the House has been pushing for the past few sessions. We have passed several bills in the previous years but have been unable to get them through our Senate to become law.

This year, the House Republican Caucus is working hard to give our state the immigration laws we need. That is why we have introduced The South Carolina Plan. We are working to get this plan through the House and set the standard of what immigration reform in South Carolina should look like.

Congress has a budget process called "Earmarking." By using a hidden earmark, members can anonymously slip pork projects in the spending spree that is known as our federal budget.

Our budget practices are very different than the ones our counterparts in Congress have gotten used to. At the state level, we have always passed a balanced budget that consistently includes tax cuts and held state government growth to an average of 4.9 percent a year since Republicans have been in charge of writing S.C.'s state budget. But still, we will continue to bring more transparency to our own process by stopping hidden earmark spending in our state budget.

You have the right to know exactly how it is being spent. Stopping this hidden spending practice and working to get our spending cap bill passed will let the taxpayers know their money is being handled responsibly.

Directing more funds to maintain and improve our roads, helping our state to better compete in today's global knowledge- based economy, reducing the tax burden on families and improving education will also be at the forefront of this session. In fact, the House recently formed an Education Funding Study Committee to review our funding formula that has not been looked at in over 30 years which will give our children are given the proper tools to succeed.

I am looking forward to addressing these and many other important issues this session. Once again, on behalf of all the lawmakers you have placed your trust in and sent to the State House, I want to thank you for the great opportunity to serve you and our state in the General Assembly.