MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Revisions to Alabama's toughest-in-the-nation immigration law are heading to the governor's desk after the House on Wednesday reluctantly agreed to a stripped-down version of changes they passed last month.
The Senate voted 20-7 on the final day of the Legislature's 2012 regular session to change the revisions made by the House. Senators left most of the controversial provisions of the law intact, including one removed by the House that would require schools to check the citizenship status of students who enroll.
The House architect of the changes, Decatur Republican Rep. Micky Hammon, said he thought the Senate's revisions did weaken his own bill, but said: "I think there are more good things in here that are worthwhile."
"These are changes that are needed," he added. "They're very important to me."
Demonstrators protesting the law met the news with a tearful prayer service outside of the Statehouse, hours after seven of them were arrested for trying to block the entrances of both legislative chambers.
The revisions to the immigration bill would allow military IDs to be used as proof of citizenship. It would also allow people pulled over in the state to use a credit card or voter registration as temporary ID, whereas previously a person pulled over without a driver's license would have to be taken to jail.
The changes would also require the Department of Homeland Security to publish every three months a list of illegal immigrants who appear in court for violations of state law, whether or not they are convicted.
The Senate left out a provision clarifying that nothing in the immigration law would prevent religious organizations from ministering or providing charitable aid to illegal immigrants. That provision was included in the House changes. But the Senate killed an amendment by Senate Minority Leader Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, that he said would have exempted religious organizations from the immigration law entirely.
Remaining in the law is the requirement that law enforcement officers determine the citizenship of people believed to be in the country illegally if they are pulled over for a traffic violation.
Many Representatives lamented the fact that they received the Senate revisions with just hours left in their last regular legislative day. That chamber passed the revisions 67-37.
"We already know we're going to have to come back next year because ... maybe 5 percent of the people in this chamber have had time to read this," said Rep. Napoleon Bracy Jr., D-Mobile.
The debate over the revisions was contentious in the Senate, with lawmakers lobbing personal barbs, Democrats attempting to draw out debate as long as possible and Republicans voting to cut them off after almost two hours.
Senate sponsor Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, spent the last 15 minutes of debate after the cloture vote refusing to let Democratic opponents speak.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, earlier asked Beason how the bill would affect "aborigines," referring to a previous comment that Beason had made about casino-goers in predominantly black Greene County.
"I think he's a bigot," Singleton later told reporters. "I think he brazenly disrespected the sanctity of this Senate."
While the Senate was passing the immigration revisions, protesters outside were chanting slogans demanding the law's repeal and singing songs like "Amazing Grace," ''This Little Light of Mine" and "We Shall Overcome."
Before the Senate approved the revisions, seven protesters sat in hallways leading to the chambers and linked arms. The protesters remained limp as security dragged them out of the hallway.
Four were arrested by Capitol Police as about 20 other protesters sang "We will not be moved," to the tune of "We Shall Overcome." The remaining three got up voluntarily and moved their protest to the House chambers. Their singing and chants could be heard throughout the Statehouse through the nearby stairwell and elevator shafts.
Two of the protesters lay blocking the hallways leading to the chamber while the third sat. They also were arrested.
Statehouse officials said all seven are being charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with government business.
"We tried to let them know they had to move," said House Clerk Greg Pappas. "When they wouldn't, we even moved the ropes (dividing the hallway)."
But some of the protesters say they came with the intention of being arrested. Six protesters had been led away in handcuffs after a similar incident on May 3, but they were not charged.
"We came to be Christians," said the Rev. Tommy Morgan, pastor of Grace Christian Church in Helena, Ala. Morgan was one of the three arrested outside of the House chambers. "If we are Christians then we can't live in fear and injustice."