House, Senate Immigration Bills at a Glance

The House and Senate have adopted sweeping measures designed to crack down on illegal immigration. But the two bills, while containing many common elements, differ sharply in several key aspects. Here are some of the sticking points that must be resolved by House and Senate conferees before the legislation can be sent to President Clinton:

* The House measure contains a provision, modeled after California’s Proposition 187, that would allow states to deny public education to illegal-immigrant children. It would apply only to children who entered the country illegally; those born in America qualify for citizenship even if their parents are illegal immigrants. The Senate bill contains no such provision.

* The House bill would require hospitals to identify the immigration status of patients to qualify for federal reimbursement, although there is no requirement that the hospital pass the information along to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. This provision is also adapted from Proposition 187, which has seen most of its sections ruled unconstitutional in the courts.

* The Senate bill would strike an item, included in the anti-terrorism legislation recently signed by the president, restricting asylum applicants who do not have proper travel documents from obtaining a full legal hearing. Such immigrants would have their asylum claims heard by an INS officer instead of an immigration judge.

* The House bill requires the sponsors of legal immigrants to earn at least 200% of the poverty level, which critics say will drastically restrict who may bring a foreign spouse or relative here. The Senate legislation contains a 125% requirement.

* The House bill bans government benefits to children who are U.S. citizens if the checks go through illegal-immigrant parents. The House version also would permanently ban from the country any illegal immigrant who has been deported once and then tries to illegally enter the country again.