State Candidate Calls Governor Owens' Guest Worker Program, a "Guess Worker" Program
Calls for State Labor Department Research

At a press conference in front of the Colorado State Capitol, candidate Jeanne Labuda, front running Democrat for State Representative in House District 1, criticized Governor Bill Owens for not having any facts when said that the State needed temporary immigrant labor to fill jobs "that simply aren't being filled by Coloradoans or Americans." Owens made the statement ten days ago, in a nationally televised interview on the popular CNN, Lou Dobbs Tonight show. . Laduda said, "Governor Owens provided no information.... he guessed. He gave no hard data to support his assertion... His plan would better be called a 'guess' worker program."

She called for legislation which would enable the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to audit our population of undocumented workers and their impact on the state and local economies, to assess the employment demands for temporary or guest workers, and to develop recommendations for filling unskilled labor jobs with U.S. citizens."
Furthermore, Labuda called on the Governor and members of the Colorado congressional delegation ask the President of the United States to "appoint a Commission on Immigration Reform composed of individuals of the same intellectual and leadership qualities as the 9/11 Commission." The panel would gather all pertinent information form all the states, hold hearings, and then make recommendations to Congress. She said, "We should put aside the rhetoric, emotions and reform legislation until the commission completes its work. This proposal may represent our last, best chance to solve our country's immigration dilemmas. I want an immigration policy based on what is best for the U.S. economy - and I want it based on hard facts."

In the meantime, the federal government should fix our broken border with Mexico. "Fix that first; then we can talk about reform" said Labuda. "At the federal level, we need an immigration policy that works in the best interest of the country, acknowledging our history as a bastion of freedom and diversity. How wide a gate should we open to those wishing to come to America? Whom should we welcome? The answers must depend on the information and facts we gather. Again, our immigration policy must address the true employment needs of Colorado and of the United States."

Below is the complete Text of Ms. Labuda's Statement

Immigration Reform Statement

Jeanne Labuda, Democratic Candidate

State House of Representatives, District 1

April 24, 2006

Good morning. My name is Jeanne Labuda. My remarks today concern immigration.

The marches and public gatherings of the last several weeks tell us that immigration is an issue of growing importance.....and our actions or inaction will affect the history of this country and our state in unforeseen ways. Immigration is clearly a pressing issue, but policy makers should not be influenced by the size of a crowd any more than they should be influenced by the shrillness of a radio talk show host.

Elected officials who set public policy must rely on accurate information and hard facts. There is no shortage of rhetoric and ideas..... some thoughtful and constructive - and some neither thoughtful nor constructive. But we suffer from a shortage of accurate information and hard data. Let me give you a recent example.

Ten days ago, in a nationally televised interview, Governor Owens stated that Colorado needs a guest worker program -a program to match willing immigrant workers to jobs not filled by Coloradoans. However, Governor Owens provided no information.... he guessed....he gave no hard data to support his assertion that Colorado needs and would benefit from a guest worker program. His plan would better be called a "guess" worker program!

The reason is simple: regarding illegal immigration and undocumented workers in Colorado, the hard fact is.....there are no hard facts. I know because I asked the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment for data on undocumented workers and their effect on the workplace, on wages, tax revenues, employment trends, unemployment benefits, workers compensation and so forth. No such information exists for our state. Although the Department has already developed the methodology and protocols necessary for identifying and sampling the undocumented worker universe in Colorado, I was told that budget restraints have prevented the research from taking place.

The immigration issue is pressing, and our people want the problem addressed. Here in Colorado we know neither the scope nor the full impact of the problem. I urge the legislature to pass a late bill this session to correct this omission. Otherwise, next January I will introduce a bill enabling the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to audit our population of undocumented workers and their impact on the state and local economies, to assess the employment demands for temporary or guest workers, and to develop recommendations for filling unskilled labor jobs with U.S. citizens. First of all, we need an accurate picture of what is actually happening in Colorado-not a guess.

My second suggestion is that the Governor and members of the Colorado congressional delegation call on the President of the United States to appoint a commission on immigration reform, composed of individuals of the same intellectual and leadership qualities as the 9/11 Commission. This immigration commission should gather all pertinent information, hold hearings, and then make recommendations to Congress. We should put aside the rhetoric, emotions and reform legislation until the commission completes its work. This proposal may represent our last, best chance to solve our country's immigration dilemmas. I want an immigration policy based on what is best for the U.S. economy - and I want it based on hard facts.

Governor Owens is not the only official who is guessing about our need for foreign labor. In all the current proposals for guest worker programs, federal officials seem to be pulling numbers out of thin air. We often hear that our farms need temporary workers. But our eyes and our common sense tell us the vast majority of illegal workers are employed in other economic areas such as the retail, construction, and hospitality industries. We need accurate information and hard data before we can make the right decisions.

Immigration reform is a federal issue; my advice to federal officials is: "Fix it first; reform it second." Our border with Mexico is broken. Fix that first; then we can talk about reform.....after we have assembled data and information from all 50 states. While the immigration commission gathers data and prepares

recommendations, our federal officials should concentrate on mending our border. At the federal level, we need an immigration policy that works in the best interest of the country, acknowledging our history as a bastion of freedom and diversity. How wide a gate should we open to those wishing to come to America? Whom should we welcome? The answers must depend on the information and facts we gather. Again, our immigration policy must address the true employment needs of Colorado and of the United States.

Here in Colorado, we will gather the accurate information and hard data.....while in Washington, they need to secure our borders. Only when those tasks are completed should we begin to talk about reform.

I'm Jeanne Labuda. I'm a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Colorado, and I am a Democratic candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives in District 1, representing Southwest Denver and the City of Sheridan.

I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have.

Larry Ambrose is the campaign manager for Jeanne Labuda.