Arizona’s GOP House Leader Sinks Amendment Barring State Benefits for Illegal Migrants

Arizona Republican House Speaker Steve Montenegro torpedoed an amendment to a bill that would ban illegal aliens from accessing state healthcare and food stamp benefits.

During Thursday’s session in Phoenix, Republican Rep. Joseph Chaplik attempted to convince his fellow legislators to include an amendment to HB 1741 that would ban illegals from being eligible for healthcare benefits and food stamps.

According to reports, Speaker Montenegro, who migrated from El Salvador as a child, threw out the amendment claiming that it was not germane to the bill, which was focused on adding features to a newborn health screening panel, renewing the Collaborative Care Uptake Fund and the Arizona Nurse Education Investment Pilot Program, and several other healthcare-related issues.

HB 1741 ultimately passed the House on Thursday, but without Chaplik’s amendment.

Indeed, most of Arizona’s House Republicans voted along with Speaker Montenegro to refuse the amendment that would prevent illegals from receiving state benefits courtesy of the Arizona taxpayers. Chaplik was joined by only eight other Republicans. Reps. Alex Kolodin, Rachel Keshel, Ralph Heap, Dave Marshall, Bev Pingerelli, Michael Way, Justin Olson, and Khyl Powell all voted to include the amendment — meaning three quarters of the GOP lawmakers opposed the rules banning illegals from accessing state aid.

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