Bishop, Cannon back immigration bill

Utah's two GOP congressmen have joined in an effort to force a vote on a federal immigration bill that has raised the concern of the LDS Church over potential impacts on its missionary program.

The Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act, HR4088, would bolster border security and interior enforcement, as well as require employers to use a federal system to check new hires' work eligibility.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is not scheduling the bill for a vote. However, a petition is circulating to force debate on the floor. It needs the support of 218 representatives, and as of midday Thursday, Reps. Chris Cannon and Rob Bishop, both R-Utah, were among 169 mostly GOP lawmakers who had signed on.

Cannon said Thursday that he's "pleased to add my name to those calling for securing the border" after receiving assurances the issue of religious missions would be addressed.

Representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contacted Congress' 11 LDS members — including Cannon and Bishop — to discuss concerns that the SAVE Act would change a 2005 law that gives religious denominations immunity from federal prosecution when they send undocumented immigrants on missions. Instead, under the SAVE Act, the denominations would have an affirmative defense, meaning criminal charges could be possible.

"The church is concerned that one provision of this new bill would substantially weaken a law Congress passed in 2005 to protect the missionary and ministry programs of the churches," M. Kenneth Bowler, director of public and international affairs for the LDS Church in Washington, D.C., said in a statement. "The church has taken no position on the numerous other provisions in the bill."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com

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