Sun, Jul 05, 2009

Most Recent Tucson Traffic Incidents

520 W PRINCE RD ,TUC HIT AND RUN ACCIDENT NEG INJ 15:25
2734 W AVENIDA AZAHAR ,TUC ACCIDENT WITH INJURIES 12:23
N ORACLE RD/W WETMORE RD ,TUC ACCIDENT WITH INJURIES 10:36
updated every 5 minutes - incidents provided by transview.org

Hourly Update

Measure would provide money for National Guard troops along border

By Howard Fischer
capitol media services
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.03.2006
PHOENIX -- Republican legislative leaders are now willing to provide cash to put National Guard troops on the border without adding special conditions.
But the concession Wednesday to Gov. Janet Napolitano may bring GOP lawmakers and the governor no closer to agreeing on terms for a comprehensive border security plan: Napolitano is now raising objections to another provision, this one dealing with sanctions against companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers.
Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said the measure, now set for hearing next week, would simply give Napolitano $10 million to pay to put "boots on the ground" in Southern Arizona.
Gone will be a provision from an earlier version which said any time a governor declares a border emergency National Guard troops also must be deployed. The governor, who declared such an emergency last August -- one that remains in effect -- vetoed that measure saying it interfered with her constitutional duties as commander-in-chief of state Guard troops.
Pearce said he and other GOP leaders decided to replace it with a "legislative intent" clause, spelling out that lawmakers are providing that cash to have National Guard troops take a role in dealing with the emergency caused by illegal border crossers. But these clauses are not legally binding on the governor.
The move, however, does not move the two sides closer together.
On Wednesday, Napolitano publicly raised a new issue. She said a provision to track down and penalize employers who hire people not in this country legally is flawed because it doesn't provide additional cash for the state Attorney General's Office.
One provision of the proposal requires that agency to audit the employment records of up to 5 percent of all businesses that have state licenses. Napolitano said that is not acceptable.
"If you want to have enforcement, put the money behind it so we can have the manpower," she said.
Andrea Esquer, press aide to Attorney General Terry Goddard, said her office is currently preparing estimates of how much more money would be needed to comply with the mandate.
But Pearce is questioning whether Goddard needs an outright appropriation of tax dollars.
"It's the largest law firm in the state," Pearce said, with a $64.5 million basic operating budget. He said Goddard has enough staff and resources to devote some to enforcing this new law.
Pearce said it's no different than when legislators enact changes to the criminal code that create more work for prosecutors.
Esquer, however, said if lawmakers want to add a major new chore to the agency they are going to have to provide the staff -- or, in the alternative, tell Goddard what things his agency is doing now that they no longer want done.
Pearce said there is another option. He pointed out that the omnibus bill will provide $30 million for grants to border communities, police departments, prosecutors and courts to deal with the effects of illegal immigration.
"He can apply for some of that grant money," Pearce said.
Still undecided is whether lawmakers will remove or alter another provision Napolitano finds unacceptable: letting police arrest people on charges of trespass solely because they are in this country illegally. She vetoed a bill with that provision earlier this year, saying it is unconstitutional.
Pearce said that could be altered to instead spell out in law that when police stop anyone for any reason that they must ask whether people are in this country legally. That would then provide a reason to call for help from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain and deport these people.