An Omaha lawmaker is taking aim at employers in the fight over illegal immigration.

State Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha wants to prohibit companies that receive tax breaks from the state from hiring illegal immigrants.

Under the bill (LB95) introduced Thursday, companies that wanted to get some of the millions of dollars’ worth of tax breaks would have to promise in writing that they hadn’t knowingly employed illegal immigrants in the past five years.

If the state found out that companies had hired illegal immigrants, the companies wouldn’t just be barred from getting tax breaks. They would have to repay the state for tax breaks they had received in the past.