It's indicative of this legislative session that the provisions of its signature bill -- on immigration -- would be put off until next year. Maybe.

Its provisions include requiring a sheriff to try to determine whether an inmate at the jail is a citizen; requiring public agencies to use the Status Authorization System to verify the status of new employees; cracking down on phony identification cards; and tightening up the rules for applying for welfare and other public benefits.

The most striking aspect of the measure is that it won't take effect until July 2009, which means the next Legislature could change some or all of the provisions, or scrap it altogether. It's like paying a debt with a post-dated check, good in 16 months. If someone did fob off such a check on you, you'd wonder if it was any good -- and it probably wouldn't be. Likewise, SB-81 inspires doubts about how seriously lawmakers are taking immigration reform.

One portion of the bill would make it illegal for anyone to transport an illegal immigrant 100 miles into Utah for profit. So does Greyhound have to start checking IDs on passengers? Or if someone drops off a load of illegal immigrants after only 99 miles in Utah, is that within the law?

The final version leaves out a key provision: It would not require private employers to check on the immigration status of new employees.

The state Legislature will eventually have to do something about illegal immigration because the federal government probably won't. A U.S. immigration official said he didn't have time to check on the immigration status of a man held in the Utah County jail for negligent homicide. The accused, an immigrant named Gabriel Hernandez, was bailed out by his mother with a paltry $230 and hasn't been seen since. Turns out he was an illegal immigrant, and it's believed he fled to Mexico.

Incompetence has long been a hallmark of federal immigration enforcement, and we don't expect that to change. There just doesn't seem to be the will to strictly enforce border laws. Utah's U.S. senators have said they don't expect Congress to do anything this election year, a statement that made undeniable what has long been obvious.

Worse, after this year's presidential election it's unlikely that President McCain, Clinton or Obama will stem the tide of illegal immigrants. And so it falls to the states. If Utah lawmakers think dealing with this issue will be easier next January, they are mistaken.

Also in the Legislature ...

• Justice courts: Lawmakers passed SB-72, which is intended to protect justice court judges from undue influence by local officials. But a section that would have required the judges to have college degrees was dropped. It's true that there are plenty of fools with college degrees. However, justices of the peace should be required to have law degrees. Then, fools or geniuses, they'd at least be well acquainted with the basics of justice, not just the homespun variety.

• Alcoholic beverages: The governor will also get SB-211, which would allow Utah establishments to serve stiffer drinks, without "sidecars" to supplement them. Schizophrenically, the bill would also move sweet-tasting "alco-pops" from grocery stories to state liquor stores. If the lawmakers really wanted to make the state's liquor laws more rational, they could allow the sale of wine in grocery stores, and end the silly practice of requiring "memberships" for bars ... er, excuse us, private clubs. The fig leaf blew away long ago on this one.

• Tuition: Surprisingly sanely, lawmakers halted two bills that addressed the immigration problem the wrong way. A law barring children of illegal immigrants from getting in-state tuition rates would have punished kids who had no choice in coming here. Another bill to revoke driving privilege cards would have done no good at all. The cards merely encourage people to come out of the shadows and are not good for official identification.