A new bill may give police more leeway when dealing with people who may be illegal immigrants.

A House panel has voted to invalidate ordinances preventing Minneapolis and St. Paul police from asking about a person’s immigration status unless they are related to a crime.

The bill from Republican Rep. Bob Barrett of Shafer cleared the House Public Safety Committee and Crime Prevention Thursday on a divided voice vote. It has one more committee stop before reaching the full House.

Supporters say the state should be tougher on illegal immigration.

The proposal would overturn prohibitions against enforcing immigration law or giving federal authorities information about immigration status.

Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi said Friday that the bill isn’t on her radar, and she doesn’t expect it to affect Austin — at least not anytime soon.

While the bill would only affect codes in Minneapolis and St. Paul, such discussions have come up in Mower County in the past.

During his unsuccessful 2010 campaign for sheriff, Sgt. Jeff Ellis said he and a deputy formulated a plan for sheriff’s deputies to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials when they encounter illegal immigrants.

However, County Attorney Kristen Nelsen said the plan to detain suspected illegal immigrants was not a permissible plan.

“The proposed ‘policy’ would go above and beyond what is permissible under Minnesota law and under the United States Constitution,” Nelsen said in a letter to the Herald. “The Mower County Attorney’s Office is responsible for following both Minnesota law and the Constitution and we will not encourage or allow any policies that blatantly violate both.”

City codes in Minneapolis and St. Paul separate policing from federal immigration enforcement in most cases.

Top police officials from both cities testified Tuesday that the policies help officers build relationships with immigrant communities and their repeal would hurt public safety.

—The Associated Press contributed to this report