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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Responding to federal inaction over immigration reform, California Democrats on Tuesday announced a package of 10 bills that would extend health care, legal rights and business protection to immigrants who are illegally living in the state.

Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, led the majority party's push to expand health coverage to all Californians, regardless of their immigration status, although they are not proposing any funding to pay for the extensions.

"Today we remind the rest of the nation that California is different," de Leon said at a news conference in Sacramento attended by immigrant-rights advocates and families with members in the country illegally.

Atkins acknowledged there was only so much the state can do because immigration is a federal issue. "This is not easy," she said.

The package includes help for California's estimated 2.5 million immigrants in the country illegally to apply for legal status if they have been a victim of a crime and assistance for the recent surge of immigrant children crossing the border to stay in the country.

Another bill bans businesses from discriminating against people on the basis of their immigration status, citizenship or language. Other bills seek to establish a state agency to help newly arrived immigrants, protect immigrants from unscrupulous employers and extend legal protections to avoid detention and deportation, according to a written summary of the legislation.

Democrats who control the governor's office and both chambers of the Legislature have said they want to find ways for immigrants to come out of the state's economic shadows. The 10 bills were previously introduced, but they were touted Tuesday by supporters for advancing immigrants' rights.

Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, questioned the costs.

"We understand the burdens facing immigrants who want to go to work and raise their families in safe neighborhoods, and the rationale behind these bills is admirable," Huff said. "But without money from Congress and President Obama, it will be very difficult and costly for California taxpayers to fund all of these bill proposals."

California this year began issuing driver's licenses to immigrants who are in the country illegally, and the Department of Motor Vehicles has already received a half-million applications. California is also one of several states to adopt the Dream Act, which permits college financial aid for top students seeking citizenship.

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Democrats push healthcare, legal rights for undocumented immigrants

Child Poverty Immigration Reform March
Child Poverty Immigration Reform March March 28, 2015.

By: United University Church

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Child Poverty & Immigration Reform March - Video

IMMIGRATION: State bills seek healthcare, other services for migrants

Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, left, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Len, D-Los Angeles, and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, at a 2014 news conference. The three are among the sponsors of immigration-related legislation unveiled Tuesday.

, RICH PEDRONCELLI, AP FILE PHOTO

Legislative Democrats Tuesday unveiled 10 immigration-related bills. Here's a description of the measures, in the words of their proponents. To read the bills in their entirety, go to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.

Senate Bill 10 (introduced by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens) Office of New Americans: Establishes the California Office of New Americans within the Governor's office to ensure that California has a comprehensive approach to immigrant integration, including coordinating multi-agency, multi-sector efforts on immigration relief options, naturalization services, and civic engagement efforts.

Senate Bill 4 (Lara) Health Care for All: Extends access to healthcare coverage to all Californians, regardless of immigration status. The bill will expand Medi-Cal to include individuals who would qualify for enrollment in the program based on their income but who are denied based on their immigration status.

Assembly Bill 622 (Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina) Protecting Immigrant Workers from Unscrupulous Employers: Strengthens state Labor Code protections for all workers by limiting misuse of E-Verify and creating penalties for abuse by unscrupulous employers. SB 600 (Pan) Civil Rights Protection for California's Immigrants: Addresses ongoing discrimination against immigrants by amending the Unruh Civil Rights Act to make it unlawful for business establishments to discriminate against a person on the basis of their immigration status, citizenship, or language.

AB 60(Assembywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego) Thwarting Immigration Services Fraud: Protects Californians from immigration attorneys and consultants demanding advanced payment for services related to pending immigration reform acts, such as President Obama's executive actions. It also requires service providers to furnish to the client a toll free 1-800 number that can be called to report the practitioner to the State Bar of California in cases of fraud. Justice for All

SB 674(Senator Kevin De Len, D-Los Angeles, and Toni Atkins, D-San Diego) Immigrant Victims of Crime Equity Act: Ensures all immigrant victims of crime in California have the opportunity to apply for the federal Victim of Crime Visa (U-Visa) if they were victims of a qualifying crime and have been helpful in the investigation or prosecution of that crime.

AB 899(Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael) Juvenile Confidentiality: Protects immigrant children by safeguarding their records from unauthorized disclosure to federal immigration officials that may result in a child's deportation.

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IMMIGRATION: State bills seek healthcare, other services for migrants

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Immigration reform activists, from left, Martha Campos (LUNA) , Father Jon Pedigo (Our Lady of Guadalupe parish), and Geraldo Dominguez (UFCW) block traffic in protest near the Mi Pueblo Market off East Bayshore Road in East Palo Alto, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014. (LiPo Ching/Bay Area News Group)

SACRAMENTO -- Slamming the Republican Congress for dropping the ball on immigration reform, Democratic legislative leaders on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping package of bills that would dramatically expand protections for illegal immigrants far beyond what's offered by any other state.

The 10 pieces of legislation would offer state-subsidized health care coverage to the undocumented poor, make it illegal for businesses to discriminate against customers based on their immigration status or the language they speak, and make it harder for federal authorities to deport immigrants living here illegally.

Calling the bills a direct response to Congress' "intellectual laziness" and "lack of work ethic" on the issue, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Len said the legislation is needed because deficiencies in state law unfairly limit the potential of immigrants -- both those who are here legally and those who are not.

"Our food, our clothing, our music, art and technology -- these are industries central to California's advancement, and they're all driven by immigrants," the Los Angeles Democrat said at a Sacramento news conference at which he unveiled the legislative package on a stage packed with other Democrats and immigration reform advocates.

Taken together, the proposals solidify California's reputation as a national leader on immigration policy, political experts said Tuesday. But groups opposing illegal immigration vowed to fight the bills.

"These proposals are the latest in a seemingly endless set of legislation designed to make illegal immigration a more comfortable thing," said Joe Guzzardi, national media director for Californians for Population Stabilization. "People living in Mexico and Central America are only going to want to come here more."

The biggest hurdle, however, may prove to be the legislative package's price tag.

"Californians at this point are strongly inclined to support undocumented immigrants," said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California. But "they become less enthusiastic about supporting undocumented immigrants when it comes to writing checks."

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Illegal immigration: California Democrats unveil far-reaching package of bills aimed at helping newcomers

Often discussed immigration reform will most likely be a long time coming, but several county residents are taking matters into their own hands, lobbying Congress to act now to speed up the waiting time for green cards.

Germantown resident Shyam Sriram is one of them. He is vice president of the Maryland Chapter of Immigration Voice, a grass roots organization concerned about the backlog of green card applications.

Its not ridiculous, its outrageous, Sriram said. The way the laws are written it can take 70 years to [get a green card].

A green card allows an immigrant to become eligible for permanent resident status and work in the U.S. It is also a first step towards becoming a U.S. citizen. It allows holders to open new businesses, change jobs, ask for a raise, travel to their home countries and return to the United States and be assured that they will not have to leave the country if they lose their jobs.

With an H-1B visa for highly skilled workers, that most Immigration Voice members have according to Sriram, those simple acts are difficult if not impossible.

Sriram, 35, came to the United States from India to attend graduate school at the University of Texas, Arlington. He has a masters degree in electrical engineering and works in the transportation business. He has a H-1B visa which allows him to work.

He has to stay with the same employer, in the same job he said. His employer is his green card sponsor and any change in his employment means he must reapply for a green card with the new employer as his sponsor and that would bump him to the end of the line. He has had his application for a green card in for six years, he said, and thinks it will take another 10 years.

Its a complex issue, he said. We want [Congress] to understand the immigration system should be fair to immigrants as well as Americans.

The system as it is now set up works to the advantage of big corporations, he said.

The problem right now is bigger companies are taking advantage of the system by hiring people and keeping them in the same position, he said. The unintended consequence is it hurts Americans as well. The way the law is written employers hire immigrants and keep them.

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It's not easy getting green: Local workers among those seeking immigration reform