Today's Law As Amended


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SB-1402 Immigration reform: advisory election.(2013-2014)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The United States of America was founded on principles of freedom and opportunity, and on the tenet that all men and women are created equal.
(b) The nation’s history has been indelibly shaped by waves of immigration.
(c) The current immigration system in the United States is antiquated, riddled with inefficiencies, and incapable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century and our changing economy.
(d) Immigrants are a major engine for the state’s economic growth. Approximately 1 in 10 workers in California is an undocumented immigrant, totaling 1.85 million workers. Immigrants are vital for California’s industries, including technology, agriculture, hospitality, and services.
(e) The undocumented immigrant population in the United States is currently 11.7 million and is expected to continue growing in the absence of immigration and regulatory reform.
(f) Almost one-quarter (23 percent) of the nation’s undocumented immigrants reside in California.
(g) Thousands of families have been separated because of the enforcement of immigration laws that do not recognize the complexities of mixed-status families. Each year, more than 350,000 immigrants face deportation proceedings.
(h) Nearly one-half of undocumented immigrants in the United States are parents of minor children, and 77 percent of these children are United States citizens.
(i) Since 1998, about 600,000 children who are United States citizens have had a parent detained or deported. Currently, there are at least 5,100 children in the child welfare system because their parents are under immigration custody or have been deported. This number is expected to rise to 15,000 in the next five years.
SEC. 2.
 A special election is hereby called to be held throughout the state on November 4, 2014. The special election shall be consolidated with the statewide general election to be held on that date. The consolidated election shall be held and conducted in all respects as if there were only one election and only one form of ballot shall be used.
SEC. 3.
 (a) Notwithstanding Section 9040 of the Elections Code, the Secretary of State shall submit the following advisory question to the voters at the November 4, 2014, consolidated election:
“Shall the Congress of the United States reform our immigration laws and immediately pass comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship to those immigrants who learn English, pass a background check, and pay back taxes, and shall the President of the United States halt the deportations of noncriminal mothers and fathers whose children were born in the United States, which separate families, until that new immigration law is passed?”
(b) Upon certification of the election, the Secretary of State shall communicate to the Congress of the United States the results of the election asking the question set forth in subdivision (a).
(c) The provisions of the Elections Code that apply to the preparation of ballot measures and ballot materials at a statewide election apply to the measure submitted pursuant to this section.
SEC. 4.
 This act calls an election within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect.