Bill Introduced To Require More Citizenship Checks For Tennessee State Benefits Applicants

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

As illegal immigration continues to be a central focus of this year’s legislative session, a new bill proposal would require local government entities to run citizenship checks on every applicant seeking to receive state-funded benefits.

SB1915/HB1710 would extend mandates by governmental entities to verify the citizenship or legal residency in the U.S. of anyone who is 18 years or older applying for federal, state, or local public benefits to include local governments.

“Local government entity” is defined to mean “a county, including a county with a metropolitan or charter form of government, and an incorporated city or town” under the bill’s language.

These expanded requirements would mean state governmental agencies, local government entities, and local health departments would all have to check the citizenship status of any applicant for benefits, a provision which could help demagnetize the state to illegal aliens. 

To enforce the requirements in the proposal, the state attorney general would be given authority to investigate violations, both by those attempting to defraud the government entities with false claims of citizenship and any government entities who do not perform the appropriate checks.

If a government actor is found out of compliance, the attorney general can move to withhold all funds of the state allocated to the local government entity or local health department “via grant, contract, or statute, including, but not limited to, state-shared taxes.”

Additionally, the state and local entities would be required to submit monthly reports to the general assembly, department of finance, and state centralized immigration enforcement division detailing:

• The number of and information about individuals who applied for a public benefit who were determined not to be a U.S. citizen or qualified alien; and
• The number of individuals for whom benefits were terminated if it was determined they were not a U.S. citizen or qualified alien.

The entities would also be required to separately report to the state immigration enforcement division any illegal immigrants or non-qualified aliens who do receive benefits. Any employee or official who fails to report this information could be subject to a Class A misdemeanor charge.

SB1915 is sponsored by Sen. Ed Jackson (R-Jackson-District 25) and is still awaiting a committee assignment. The House companion, HB1710, is carried by Rep. Dennis Powers (R-Jacksboro- District 36) and has been assigned to the House Departments & Agencies Subcommittee but does not yet have a hearing date.

About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.