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| NPR's SB 1070 story 'a lie' |
| 2010-10-29 |
| An NPR story about the origins of Senate Bill 1070 drew an angry response Thursday from its author, who said the radio account exaggerated the role prison lobbyists had in drafting it. State Sen. Russell Pearce, who first introduced a bill in 2003 to require law enforcement to question individuals about their immigration status, denied a report by NPR reporter Laura Sullivan that "Pearce's idea took shape" last year at a conference of conservative lawmakers and corporate interests. "It's a lie," said Pearce, R-Mesa. The story said an NPR investigation had found "a quiet, behind-the-scenes effort to help draft and pass Arizona Senate Bill 1070 by an industry that stands to benefit from it: the private prison industry." The story traced donations from private-prison corporations to lawmakers, saying that 30 of SB 1070's 36 co-sponsors received contributions over the next six months. NPR's story aired Thursday on "Morning Edition," a program that claims almost 14 million listeners. A second installment of the report was scheduled to air today. After it was posted online, the story ricocheted around Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere, generating debate around the Capitol. Democrats seized on the story as evidence of prison lobbyists' undue influence on lawmakers. "Private prisons seem to be running the show," Rep. David Lujan wrote on Facebook. Sullivan's story said that after Pearce conceived the idea, "instead of taking his idea to the Arizona Statehouse floor, Pearce first took it to a hotel conference room." She was referring to a meeting last December of the American Legislative Exchange Council, which brings lawmakers together with corporate interests, including the Corrections Corporation of America, to work on legislation. Sullivan said in an interview Thursday with The Arizona Republic that her story relied on anonymous sources who told her officials with CCA provided feedback on the bill leading up to and during the ALEC convention. The story did not say what suggestions CCA made. Michael Bowman, senior director of policy for ALEC, said Pearce proposed his idea to the Public Safety and Elections task force for consideration as model legislation that could be used by other states. Both Pearce and the CCA serve as executive board members of the task force, and task-force members do make suggestions on proposed legislation. But Bowman and Pearce said they brought a fully drafted bill for consideration, not just an idea. Pearce said that other than going through the committee process, he did not talk to private prison representatives about his bill, and they did not approach him about it or help write it. By the time the group met, Pearce had taken similar ideas to the Statehouse floor in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. In some cases, the bill failed to gain lawmakers' approval; in others it was vetoed by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano. CCA denied lobbying Pearce. The NPR story said the model legislation that came out of ALEC "became, almost word for word, Arizona's immigration law." But the bill Pearce submitted at the start of the legislative session was amended five times before it reached Gov. Jan Brewer's desk, and the Legislature subsequently passed a second law to modify the one Brewer signed. Sullivan said on Thursday that she had been referring to the version that was introduced. NPR's account says that if SB 1070 is upheld by the courts, it "requires police to lock up anyone they stop" who cannot show proof they entered the country legally. The text of SB 1070 permits, but does not require, a law-enforcement officer to transport a person who does not have proof of legal status to a federal facility. It requires officers to inquire about a person's status when practicable, and it requires them to determine an arrested individual's status before releasing that person. In response to a lawsuit from the Department of Justice, a U.S. District Court judge has blocked those parts of the law from taking effect. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments in the case Monday. The NPR story suggests that private prisons will benefit from SB 1070 because of greater demand for facilities. "The law could send hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to prison in a way never done before," the story states. "And it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in profits to private-prison companies responsible for housing them." But Pearce said most of those detained would likely be detained in city or county jails, not private prisons. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #3 The communtards at No Penis Radio seem to be engaging in a bit of projection again. Certainly, SB 1070 *couldn't possibly* be about a widely-held, good-faith conviction that the borders need to be secured and illegals returned home. Nope, it's just racist profiteering, something leftists |
| Posted by: RandomJD 2010-10-29 16:59 |
| #2 NPR = making up subversive lies trying to push an agenda (and undermine the country.) Soros money behind this crapola? Pull public funding ASAP. Make them remove the word "Public" from their name. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-10-29 09:33 |
| #1 NPR = anti-American propaganda. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-10-29 08:57 |