74th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2007 Regular Session
 
NOTE:  Matter within  { +  braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within  { -  braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
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 LC 3573
 
                     House Joint Memorial 21
 
Sponsored by Representatives ROBLAN, RILEY, GALIZIO, C EDWARDS;
  Representatives BARKER, CLEM, COWAN, D EDWARDS, KOMP
 
 
                             SUMMARY
 
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
 
  Urges Congress to secure borders of United States of America
and institute comprehensive immigration reform.
 
                         JOINT MEMORIAL
To the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United
  States of America, in Congress assembled:
  We, your memorialists, the Seventy-fourth Legislative Assembly
of the State of Oregon, in legislative session assembled,
respectfully represent as follows:
  Whereas the United States of America was founded by immigrants
who traveled from around the world to seek a better life; and
  Whereas modernizing our antiquated and dysfunctional
immigration system will uphold our nation's basic values of
fairness, equal opportunity and respect for the law; and
  Whereas our current immigration system fails to provide the
clear and fair paths to legal residency or citizenship that would
benefit the growth of our nation while also securing our nation's
borders; and
  Whereas the current, ineffective immigration system contributes
to labor abuses, deaths on the border and vigilante violence and
is in dire need of reform to meet the challenges of the 21st
century; and
  Whereas illegal immigration grew 23 percent over the past four
years, and this increase came despite the creation of the
Department of Homeland Security and increased funding for border
control; and
  Whereas undocumented immigrants in the United States now total
12 million and account for one in every five workers including
one-quarter of agricultural workers; and
  Whereas the federal government's unwillingness to stem the tide
of illegal immigration has created billions of dollars in costs
to state and local governments; and
  Whereas if the federal government continues to abdicate its
responsibility to develop a comprehensive immigration policy, it
should reimburse the states for costs associated with these
failures, otherwise, the federal government is forcing states to
pay for the federal government's failures; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of
  Oregon:
 
  (1) We, the Seventy-fourth Legislative Assembly, on behalf of
the citizens of Oregon, respectfully urge the Congress of the
United States to secure our nation's borders and to address
comprehensive immigration reform in order to provide states with
an adequate workforce, address the escalating costs to states of
illegal immigration and help states recoup moneys already spent
on such escalating costs.
  (2) A copy of this memorial shall be sent to the Senate
Majority Leader, to the Speaker and the Clerk of the House of
Representatives, and to each member of the Oregon Congressional
Delegation.
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