BOSTON — The Massachusetts Senate yesterday approved a compromise measure designed to clamp down on illegal immigrants' ability to obtain a range of state services from Medicaid to public housing.
The 28-10 vote came a day after the Senate passed a narrower proposal targeting illegal immigrants trying to get Medicaid and unemployment benefits.
The new measure - which is included in a budget bill - requires companies doing business with the state to verify that their workers are in the country legally and bars them from bidding on public contracts if they're caught employing illegal immigrants.
In addition to restrictions on Medicaid, housing and unemployment benefits, the proposal would prevent the children of illegal immigrants from obtaining the same in-state tuition discount to public colleges and universities as legal Massachusetts residents. It also would bar illegal-immigrant students from getting taxpayer-funded education grants.
The tuition measure is a rebuke to Gov. Deval Patrick, who has pushed to allow those students to take advantage of the lower tuition rate, arguing that many of them were brought here by their parents as small children and have attended public schools.
Senate Republican leader Richard Tisei of Wakefield declared it a victory for Republicans, saying it incorporates measures GOP lawmakers have long advocated.
Several senators who voted in favor of the amendment expressed immediate misgivings. Sen. Susan Tucker, D-Andover, said during floor remarks that some members had backed the changes "very reluctantly."
Sen. Steven Baddour, who helped broker the compromise, said the progressives had won a victory in stripping out language that would have required affidavits.
"I would hope that the House Democrats see this as the Senate Democrats saw it, as an opportunity to bring real reform to our immigration positions here in the commonwealth," said Baddour, D-Methuen. Asked if he thought the measure would provoke controversy in the House, Baddour replied, "Of course."
Earlier this week, Senate President Therese Murray, a Plymouth Democrat, had dismissed the Republican proposal as "smoke and mirrors."
After the vote, Murray said she was bowing to the will of the Senate, even though she didn't agree with everything in the proposal.
"There are parts of it that I think are unfortunate, but the members wanted it," said Murray, who did not cast a vote.
Baddour doubted that Murray would remain ambivalent about the bill in conference.
"I think she will fight for it," Baddour said. "I mean, 28 members of the Senate voted for it."
The Senate's action follows a poll released late Wednesday that found eight out of ten Massachusetts voters say proof of citizenship should be required for public benefits.
The Suffolk University/WHDH-TV survey released Wednesday found 84 percent of voters recommending Massachusetts lawmakers require people provide proof of citizenship to receive state benefits. Just 12 percent said no and 4 percent were undecided.
The poll surveyed 500 Massachusetts registered voters from last Thursday to Sunday and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Asked about the poll, Baddour said, "We were addressing this issue prior to that poll coming out ... We didn't know the overwhelming support, but we knew that we needed to do something in this area, and we did."
The proposal establishes a toll free hot line to allow citizens to report to the state attorney general's office suspected violations of the part of the amendment prohibiting the hiring of illegal immigrants by contractors working for the state.
It also authorizes the state attorney general to enter into a "memorandum of understanding" with the U.S. attorney general to work collaboratively to enforce the nation's immigration laws.
The state also would have to verify the immigration or citizen status of anyone arraigned in a criminal proceeding before a trial court in the state. The MassHealth program also would have to check participants' immigration status through the federal Homeland Security Department.
In order for the bill to reach Gov. Patrick's desk, where it would face a likely veto, Senate leaders would have to battle for it in a House conference committee. The House last month voted, 82-75, to defeat scaling back public benefits for illegal immigrants.
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