Proposed Texas Bill: No Hiring Illegals, Unless...

(Newser) – Under House Bill 1202, one of a number of proposed Texas bills that addresses illegal immigration, anyone who "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly" hires an illegal immigrant would face up to two years in jail and a fine as high as $10,000 ... unless, of course, he or she is just hiring that illegal immigrant to do housework or yardwork. As long as you're hiring unauthorized immigrants "for the purpose of obtaining labor or other work to be performed exclusively or primarily at a single-family residence," you're in the clear.

It's an exception that's getting a lot of attention in Texas, a state that has yet to pass tough laws against illegal immigration like, say, Arizona's. One state representative tells CNN the exception included on this particular bill, authored by state Rep. Debbie Riddle, is a good idea—because without it, "a large segment of the Texas population" would go to prison. The exception is intended to avoid "stifling the economic engine" in Texas, Riddle's chief of staff told the Texas Tribune last week.