CALIFORNIAS PROPOSITION 187: A BRIEF OVERVIEW (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Sept. 15, 1999 |
| Report Number |
97-543 |
| Authors |
Larry M. Eig, American Law Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
On September 13, 1999, a U.S. district judge approved an agreement to end litigation
challenging
California's Proposition 187, a 1994 ballot initiative to deny illegal aliens state benefits and to
require reporting of illegal alien applicants for benefits to federal immigration officials. This
agreement effectively continues earlier court-imposed restraints on implementing Prop 187.
Meanwhile, federal law enacted in 1996 denies illegal aliens most state-provided benefits funded in
part by the federal government and authorizes California to deny illegal aliens many other benefits
that would have been denied had Prop 187 been implemented. In a reversal of policy, however,
California has now restored state-financed prenatal care for illegal aliens and is also considering
easing other restrictions that it had imposed after the 1996 law.
