Illegal immigration proposals moving through the Texas Legislature include measures banning taxpayer-funded day labor sites and stripping undocumented college students of access to in-state tuition.
Southlake Republican Rep. Giovanni Capriglione also has a bill that would create a voluntary "Made in Texas" certification for companies that have all their assets in Texas and use the federal E-Verify system to make sure their employees are in the country legally.
Customers want to support local businesses and should be able to make an informed decision, Capriglione said.
"When I see they're made-in-China products, I'm thinking, 'Are these 14-year-old girls making these in a sweatshop?' And at the same time, if I go to two restaurants and one is this certified, Made in Texas company, and there's another restaurant next door to it, I can make the decision," he said.
"I personally think that I would prefer to go to a restaurant that used E-Verify so I know its employees are committed, they're here legally. And that affects the quality of the product as well."
The bill also would help small businesses that find it hard to compete with companies employing illegal immigrants at lower wages.
"If you're trying to keep to the rules, follow the laws, you'll find that you're paying these extra expenses and maybe some other business isn't and I think that's unfair," Capriglione said.
The chances of passing largely depend on whether lawmakers support the E-Verify portion of the bill, he said. Immigration rights advocates tend to fight those types of measures, calling them burdensome and ineffective.
But Capriglione noted that the bill is not a mandate.
"I think it's going to be an issue in this bill. I hope it'll be a good issue," he said. "Not a lot of bills have been filed so far that relate directly to the immigration issue, sanctuary cities and so on. In fact, we've been very light on this. But I know the residents of my district do want this kind of topic to be addressed."
Republican lawmakers, who have a majority in the House and Senate, said they are mindful that attempting to supersede federal law could bring about lawsuits and alienate Hispanic voters — while having no real impact in the Lone Star State.
So far, the bills that have been filed largely are limited to things the state can do, instead of bills that send strong anti-illegal immigration messages but cannot be enforced by the state.
"It's a different conversation for Republicans to have, and it's a new conversation to have," said Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-District 52, who said he wants to see Texas lead the charge on designing a national guest worker program.
On the Democrat side, a Dallas representative has a bill allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. The bill filing deadline is in March.
Rep. Mark Strama, D-District 50, said illegal immigration should be addressed. But he added, "However you feel about illegal immigration, there is no sensible benefit to having the children of illegal immigrants go uneducated while remaining in this country," he said. "No one wins from that outcome."
