There is no appetite among House Republicans for a bill that would put a bounty on undocumented immigrants, Speaker Jon Patterson told reporters Thursday. The legislation, which was debated Tuesday in a Missouri Senate committee,

Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson cast doubt Thursday on the fate of a contentious immigration bill, which proposes paying people a $1,000 bounty for turning in undocumented migrants in the state.

House Bill 1484, or the Mississippi Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program, would offer a $1,000 reward to registered bounty hunters for each successful deportation they help to facilitate.

The proposed “Mississippi Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program Fund” shows how hard-line immigration policies at the federal level have influenced policy proposals in states and localities.

Dozens of people spoke out against the plan by state Sen. David Gregory, R-Chesterfield, during a committee hearing this week.

One bill being discussed in the Senate would include life imprisonment without parole as a punishment for immigration violations, and would allow Missourians to collect $1,000 bounties for reporting people who are in the country without legal status.