Controversial Immigration Law Proposed in Florida

(AP) - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is proposing immigration legislation similar to what Arizona passed earlier this year.

McCollum says a draft bill requiring police officers to check a person's immigrant status during a lawful stop gets around concerns raised by a federal judge over a similar provision in an Arizona law.

McCollum said at a news conference Wednesday that while the proposed Florida bill is very similar to one passed in Arizona, Florida's bill would strictly define what is considered a "reasonable suspicion" during a lawful stop.

McCollum first unveiled the proposed legislation on Tuesday.

The measure would also require Florida businesses to use a national registry to make sure that new hires are authorized to work in the United States.

The proposed measure also would require anyone who is not a citizen to carry immigration documentation or face a misdemeanor with a sentence of up to 20 days in jail.

A federal judge in Arizona last month delayed a provision of the Arizona law requiring Arizona police officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws.

McCollum says Florida's proposed bill one-ups the Arizona law by allowing judges to consider immigration status in setting bond and by allowing suspects to be charged with a higher-level crime because of immigration status.