Guest Worker Permit Bill Planned in Oklahoma

A Republican state senator from Seminole says he’ll reintroduce a proposal to allow illegal immigrants to work in Oklahoma.

Sen. Harry Coates of Seminole says he’s filed a bill to allow illegal immigrants who are 18 or older to stay in the state if they purchase a guest worker permit, find a sponsor who will both hire them and provide health insurance.

The permit would cost $1,000 and the workers must agree to a criminal background check and provide a home address and phone number.

Coates sponsored a similar bill earlier this year that was never heard in a Senate committee. It carried a permit fee of $2,000, prohibited the illegal immigrants from receiving unemployment payments and required them to provide evidence that they would not operate a motor vehicle.