Arizona House OKs Bill Requiring Presidential Candidates to Provide Birth Certificate

PHOENIX -- The Arizona House approved a bill Wednesday that would require presidential candidates to show his or her birth certificate in order to be on the state's ballot.

The House approved the measure on a 31-29 vote after four Republicans joined all of the Democrats in opposing it. The measure still faces a Senate vote.

It would require U.S. presidential candidates who want to appear on the Arizona ballot to submit documents proving they meet the constitutional requirements to be president.

So-called "birthers" have contended since the 2008 presidential campaign that President Obama was born abroad, even after his official Hawaii birth certificate was made public along with birth notices that two Honolulu newspapers published in August 1961.

The Constitution says a person must be a "natural-born citizen" to be eligible for the presidency. Skeptics suggest Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate is fake and say he was actually born in Kenya, his father's homeland.

Supporters of the Arizona measure say it would help settle the controversy.

"I support this measure in order to remove this as any type of issue in the future," said Rep. Cecil Ash, R-Mesa.

Opponents say it's a waste of time that makes Arizona mocked by the rest of the country.

"I am ashamed that this is even a topic of discussion," said Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix.

The measure would require the secretary of state to review candidates' documents and withhold a candidate from the ballot if he has "reasonable cause" to believe ineligibility.

Courts have rebuffed lawsuits challenging Obama's eligibility to be president, but the issue hasn't gone away.

Film at 11...

Concealed Carry Weapons permit no longer necessary - Passed.

Illegal Immigration Bill - Law would give state officials broad new powers to arrest people suspected of being illegal immigrants. 70% of Arizonans polled want this to become law.

Birther law - passed by House, awaiting Senate vote.

Comments? This should be fun...

Concealed Carry Weapons permit no longer necessary - Passed.

^ this is cool but I dunno... I know a few people I wouldn't want anywhere near a gun...

Yeah, I think it should be required to take the CCW class and a basic handgun class for anyone purchasing a handgun. There are a lot of immature 21 year olds here that I wouldn't trust with a pillow let alone a pistol.

This one scares me a little.

gun law- i’d like t see a class involved, also no more revenue for the state.

immigration bill - this is and should be a fed issue backed by fed $$.

birther law - really? these jack asses can’t pass a budget that will force teachers to loose jobs, over crowd classrooms, but have time to come up with this?

Barry Goldwater is rollin over in his grave.

^ I'm not so sure...

wheel,

Yet another state I'm glad to NOT live in.

NINE!

Illegal aliens driving around in white face paint carrying Desert Eagles and counterfeit birth certificate and running for president. Sounds good to me

"What I encountered at the Support Legal Arizona Workers' rally was shocking and egregious. Speeches soaked with hateful, angry racist tones and dialogue. Eyes closed, listening to the roar of inflammatory rhetoric and sermonizing, I could have easily mistaken myself to be at one of David Duke's Ku Klux Klan rallies in Baton Rouge, La.

"Deportation, deportation, deportation" was the chant of the incensed crowd.

Illegal immigration has, like so much of our political system, become so polarized - left and right. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have painted themselves into a narrow corridor in the political spectrum, unwilling to breach the middle ground and seek the reasonable and compromising actions the people of this great nation and state so desperately crave and deserve.

The people of Arizona have always been drawn to leaders who speak out about their freedoms from excessive government, excessive taxes and regulation, and for safe neighborhoods, honesty and preserving Arizona's pristine environment. These are the principles of conservatives, including my father, Ronald Reagan, Bill Buckley, Jon Kyl and many, many others.

In addition, these men were - and are - committed to protecting those who are less fortunate. These men always rejected racism. These men believed strongly in the benefits of immigration and what it has done to enrich our American economy, culture and heritage.

Unfortunately, our conservative leaders today have fallen from these principles and become ensconced in the polarized political spectrum. Leaders such as Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, and Don Goldwater, architects of the Support Legal Arizona Workers initiative, are getting tarred with the far-right brush. They are rapidly losing the respect of the business community and most rank-and-file Republican contributors. They have tarnished the image of the Republican Party with the extreme hysteria and rhetoric they represent.

My father was a strong proponent that with leadership came responsibility. Leadership is about finding fair and reasonable solutions."

Excerpt from speech By Baryy Goldwater JR in 2007

I don't think anyone has a problem with immigration... I don't anyway.. I think it's the illegal immigrantion that is creating the problem...

When I visit my folks there, if a cop asks my wife or kids for their identification just because they are brown, they will not be the ones going to jail.

^ gonna have a 5 minute herf with the cop..??

something like that. my wife has been asked if she has a green card before even after saying she was from Puerto Rio. I guess thats because she speaks fluent Mexican.

Summer too hot.

Taxes too high.

Illegals too many.

But their politics is refreshing compared with Wisconsin's liberal lean.

It is too damn hot here in the summer but I'll take that over snow any day of the week.

I love Arizona, I grew up here and love it's history, also. Unfortunately, it's not the same state it was when I was young. Phoenix has tripled, maybe even quadrupled in size in the last 25 years.

But where else do you have a desert, high plains, mountains, forests, and one great big hole in the ground all within a 2-3 hours drive?

We've always had an illegal issue but it's never been this bad. What you don't hear about is all the damage and violence done in the Southern part of our state. And let me be very clear about this, it is NOT violence to themselves. They are attacking, killing, and kidnapping American citizens that are living in that part of the state. Ranchers fear for their lives on their own property. The drug runners and coyotes have spotters run a mile or two ahead to look for anyone who might report them and then take out anyone in their path. There is no regard for property or life. The Wild West is back. They are even desperate enough to work with the Cochise Militia because the Feds are doing NOTHING. This is why the state passed this law. The state rightly feels that the Feds have failed them and they must take care of the citizens of Arizona.

I, for one, am glad the state is taking charge because I love the Copper State.

Well said Ed.

It's a madhouse here in the state today. Hundreds of high school students from all over Phoenix, mostly Hispanic, but not all, walked out of school and marched to the state capitol downtown to protest this bill.

The problem is the misconception that law enforcement will automatically become racists and use racial profiling simply because of this bill. They still need probable cause..period.

They did a poll earlier this week and 70% of Arizonans want this bill to pass. I hope the Governor signs it soon.

eddie, this state is not like it used to be, you are right about that. our elected officals used to have a vision of equality, sense of duty to get things done dispite party affiliation, and to hold the feds acountable. those were the days when Goldwater and DeConcini could effectively run this state from the "center of the isle". what we have today is knee-jerk legislators who are more interested winning a pissing contest than fixing anything at all. the only thing they are good at is creating histeria that will get them noticed on the news and wasting out $$. how much is it costing us to making it a state law for a federal "illegal" to be a state "ilegal" too........

and as for the ranche who was shot by a drug runner....i doubt he has any intentions of moving here to take "good jobs" from U.S. citizens.

T-dub, better make sure she has her birth certificate on her. yesterday a U.S. citizen was put in handcuffs after showing police his state issued CDL and other paperwork wile on the job but some how it wasn't enough so he was taken downtown until his wife could come down with other paperwork to prove that his brown skinned ass indeed belonged here.

your right eddie........this place has change.

poor AZ