Virginiato deny illegals benefits

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RICHMOND -- Both chambers of the Republican-controlled Virginia General Assembly yesterday approved a measure that would deny illegal aliens access to state and local public benefits, including Medicaid.

The House voted 81-17 to approve the bill, which applies only to aliens 19 and older. The Senate, which usually rejects legislation that restricts benefits to illegal aliens, approved the bill on a 27-11 vote.

The bill now heads to Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat, who could not be reached for comment yesterday. Warner spokeswoman Ellen Qualls said the bills are "under review," but did not offer further comment.

Since becoming governor in 2002, Mr. Warner has vetoed legislation that would have required illegal aliens to pay out-of-state tuition at state universities and approved a measure that requires foreign nationals to prove they are in the United States legally before obtaining a driver's license.

Delegate David B. Albo, who sponsored the House version of the bill, said yesterday that there is no estimate of how much money will be saved on Medicaid because there is no system that tracks how many illegal aliens receive the benefits.

Lynda S. Zengerle, a lawyer who heads the immigration practice in the international group at the D.C.-based law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, said if the measure saves the state money, it "may be the right thing to do."

However, Ms. Zengerle, who represents corporations, immigrants and those seeking asylum, was skeptical about the savings.

"You may be doing more harm than good by denying benefits to people who wouldn't be able to afford them otherwise," she said.

The bills would require people to prove their legal presence to local or state officials when requesting benefits. The documents that can be used to prove legal presence would match those required to obtain a driver's license under the law passed by the General Assembly several years ago.

"These bills honor legal immigrants who wait in line and follow all the rules," said Mr. Albo, Fairfax County Republican. "This bill could have been harsher, but it exempts people who are younger than 19 to make sure they are not punished because of the fact that their parents dragged them to this country."