Proposed bill could force non-profits and churches to turn away people based their immigration status kfor
OKLAHOMA CITY (
KFOR) — A proposed bill has some non-profits and church officials worried they may have to turn people away from receiving resources based on their immigration status.
“We’re not going to walk past somebody in dire need of help and check for papers first,” said Jon Middendorf, a pastor at OKC First Church and member of the Oklahoma Justice Circle.
Senate Bill 1554 states, “No NGO (nongovernmental organization) shall knowingly or recklessly provide material support for the benefit of any illegal immigrant or asylum seeker within this state. Any NGO that violates this subsection shall be permanently ineligible to receive any state or local funding.”
The bill continues saying that any NGO member who provides aid could face a fine of up to $50,000 or a felony that carries up to five years in prison.
“When I initially read it, I was pretty horrified,” said Meghan Mueller, the CEO of the Homeless Alliance. “We’re not verifying ID, we’re not verifying citizenship. And that is something that we just do not have the capacity to do,” Mueller added.
The bill’s author, Senator Randy Grellner (R-Cushing), says the legislation was written to target the misuse of taxpayer dollars.
“There has to be some kind of something that holds these NGO’s from taking taxpayer dollars and spending it where it’s not appropriate. Now, that’s why it has reckless in there, ” Senator Grellner explained.
“If NGO’s want to spend their own money doing those kind of things, that’s one thing. But they can’t use taxpayer dollars for it,” Grellner said.
The bill doesn’t specifically state that NGO’s using non-state or local funding won’t be subject to the repercussions listed in the bill.
Despite the Grellners’ goal for the legislation, some feel the bill doesn’t echo the Oklahoma standard.
“You would think that someone writing a piece of legislation in such a church and a Christian state would be familiar with our mandate as Christians to care for the folks who need care, and there’s nothing there about checking their immigration status,” pastor Middendorf added.
Non-profits like the Spero Project help asylum seekers connect with resources; they worry legislation like this will directly impact the work they do.
“I would hope that our legislators would want us to continue to live as a caring, compassionate, community-driven state that lives our values, and that, that I would ask them not to stand in the way of us doing that,” said Kim Bandy, the Spero Project’s Executive Director.
Senator Grellner says the bill is set to be heard in committee in the coming weeks, and the language is subject to change.
“This bill is about protecting taxpayers, Oklahoma State taxpayers,” Senator Grellner said.
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