Georgetown City Council Backs Off
Well, nevermind.
That's essentially what Georgetown City Council said about a much-publicized proposal which would have required contractors hired by the city to offer proof that all their workers are US citizens. The council was scheduled to vote on the measure tonight, but after hearing public comment (mostly from opponents), council backed off. It decided instead to insert a clause in all future contracts that would require businesses to "comply with all applicable federal and state laws and local ordinances."
Watch my colleague Kevin Peters' 10pm report right here.
As Eye on Williamson cited, measures such as the original proposal have been struck down by the federal courts because constitutional questions about due process, and conflicts with federal law, which already prohibits the hiring of undocumented workers.
The issue has quieted for now, but the thwarted protest of the original proposal has sparked a federal lawsuit. The folks who protested on a public sidewalk earlier this month say police officers threatened them with arrest if they didn't leave -- officers cited a Georgetown ordinance which requires a permit for any protest on public property. That includes any “demonstrative event” in which “a sentiment, statement, opinion or thought-process is put forward to the public.”
Does this fly in the face of the First Amendment? Plaintiffs think so. The city spokesman reserved comment, as he hadn't fully read the filing when we asked him about it. We'll keep you updated.
