House Committees Discuss Impact of Illegal Immigration on Cost to the State and the American Worker On August 14, 2006, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing in Gainesville, Georgia to discuss the impact of illegal immigration on American workers and their wages.  The hearing was hosted by Congressmen Charlie Norwood (R-GA), Tom Price (R-GA), and Nathan Deal (R-GA). The hearing focused not only on the direct impact on domestic wages, but also various wage provisions proposed in House and Senate legislation. Chairman Norwood stated that the importance of the committee hearing was to discuss the "impact of illegal aliens on the American workforce." Rep. Price explained that "there is an oversupply of cheap foreign labor depressing domestic wages; ample first-hand evidence of Georgians losing their jobs to illegal aliens; a history of Administrations neglecting their responsibilities; and a record of certain businesses that flout the law by hiring illegal workers." He continued, saying "the crisis will just be made worse if Congress adopts the U.S. Senate's version of immigration reform." The witness panel was comprised of a variety of local professionals and officials.  They included Gary Black, President, Georgia Agribusiness Council Commerce; Phil Kent, National Spokesman, Americans for Immigration Control Atlanta, Georgia; D.A. King, President, Dustin Inman Society, Marietta, Georgia; Hon. Chip Pearson, Georgia State Senator, Dawsonville, Georgia; Dr. Jeffrey Wenger, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.  Mr. Kent discussed the senate bill saying, "Perhaps one of the most outrageous features of S. 2611 - aside from rewarding lawbreakers with services like college tuition breaks and eventual citizenship - is requiring employers to pay foreign workers higher wages at construction jobs." Mr. King followed stating "we find it easy to understand the injustice involved if the effect of the Senate bill would be to 'legalize' illegal labor and then provide an avenue whereby that labor then be rewarded with pay and benefits not available to all American workers." Also, on August 14, 2006, the House Government Reform held a hearing in San Diego, California to discuss the impact of illegal immigration on State, Local, and County governments. Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) stated that "porous borders and weak enforcement constitute a de facto unfunded mandate on states and counties," and discussed the costs to the county of San Diego. He also explained that "states and localities deserve the fiscal security that will only come if the federal government focuses on effective external and internal border security." The witness panel included of a variety of local professionals and officials.  They included Miguel Unzueta, San Diego Special Agent-in-Charge Office, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement; William Kolender, Sheriff, San Diego County; Bill Horn, Chairman, San Diego Board of Supervisors; Steven Escoboza, President and CEO, Hospital Assn. of San Diego and Imperial County; Sen. Denise Ducheny, California State Senate, D-40th District; Bronwen Anders, Professor of pediatrics, University of California at San Diego, and former president of San Diego Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. To read the news update about yesterday's hearing, click here.    Stay tuned for more updates as the Congressional hearings on immigration reform continue…