Apathy has friends amongst the citizens of Ohio

(Updated with a link demonstratin the consequences of misusing a Social Security number and moving to top)

BizzyBlog posted on a vote yesterday by Ohio's Senators to table the Ensign Amdt. No. 3985 offered to S. 2611 (Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 ).

The amendment was was offered to:

To reduce document fraud, prevent identity theft, and preserve the integrity of the Social Security system, by ensuring that persons who receive an adjustment of status under this bill are not able to receive Social Security benefits as a result of unlawful activity.

Just what exactly is the effect of tabling and amendment? According to the official Senate document 'The Amending Process in the Senate', tabling has the following effects (ed. emphasis added):

A bill is subject to amendment as soon as the Senate begins to consider it. Committee amendments are considered first; then Senators can offer amendments to any part of the bill in any order. Senators may debate each amendment without limit unless the Senate (1) agrees to a motion to table (kill) the amendment, (2) agrees to a unanimous consent request to limit debate on the amendment, or (3) invokes cloture, limiting debate on the amendment or on the bill and all amendments to it.

The report goes on to say:

A Senator may stop debate on an amendment by being recognized and then moving to lay it on the table. If the Senate agrees to this non-debatable motion, the amendment is considered to be rejected, or tabled. (The Senate may vote to table a first degree amendment while a second degree amendment to it is pending.) If the tabling motion is defeated, debate on the amendment may resume. However, the vote on a motion to table an amendment often is considered to be a decisive test vote on the amendment; if the tabling motion is defeated on a roll call vote, the amendment itself may be agreed to by voice vote shortly thereafter. Moving to table an amendment is essentially a negative action, and there is no other motion available in the Senate to bring the body to an immediate vote to dispose of a pending amendment.

Ohio's Senators appear to be counting on the assumption that their constituents are not paying attention to the 'sausage making' process of legislation. Lest you be counted amongst the apathetic, here's some action you can take. Call Senator DeWine (202-224-2315) and Senator Voinovich (202-224-3353) and ask them to explain this vote.

Update: Illegals granted Social Security: Let's see if we got this right...an illegal immigrant commits a felony by providing a falsified Social Security number to get illegal employment, but Dewine and Voionovich have voted to absolve them of this. (HT: BizzyBlog)

Update: If you think that misusing a Social Security number is not a serious offense, tell that to Rosa Araceli Lara, the Social Security Adminstration and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson (ed. ephasis added):

Rosa Araceli Lara, 32, who is not a citizen of the United States, and who is charged with one count of misusing a Social Security number, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of using false documents to be employed at the Excel Corp. beef processing plant in Dodge City, Kan., and one count of making a false oath regarding U.S. citizenship. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from January 2000 to August 2005, in Ford County, Kan. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of misusing a Social Security number; a mandatory 2-year sentence without parole to run consecutively to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000 on the aggravated identity theft charge; a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of using false documents to be employed; and a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of making a false oath of citizenship. The Social Security Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.