By Associated Press
Washington, DC – Business lobbyists believe federal lawmakers will ultimately strip from the Senate minimum wage legislation any sanctions against companies caught hiring illegal immigrants. The provision was offered by Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions. The Senate, by a 94-to-nothing vote Thursday, inserted a federal contracting ban for businesses that violate immigration laws into a bill that would raise the federal floor on hourly pay from 5-15 to 7 dollars, 25 cents over two years. Under Session's provision, companies caught hiring illegal workers while on a federal contract would be banned from government work for 10 years. Other companies discovered with illegal workers would be prohibited from getting federal contracts for seven years. The ban would not be subject to appeal in court, but the federal government could waive it for national security reasons. The Senate vote was the new Congress' first action on immigration legislation.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)