photo by: John Henry

This file photo from 2008 shows a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper approaching a vehicle after a traffic stop on Kansas Highway 10.

Topeka ? Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is seeking legislation that would authorize state police to enforce federal immigration laws.

The bill, which has not yet been drafted, was introduced “conceptually” Thursday in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. Rep. John Whitmer, R-Wichita, introduced the bill on Kobach’s behalf.

Immigration enforcement has long been seen as the responsibility of the federal government. Local law enforcement agencies have authority to arrest people living in the country illegally who have violated criminal laws, but they generally only get involved in immigration enforcement when requested to do so by a federal law enforcement agency.

In recent years, several states have enacted laws attempting to regulate immigration. The most notable of those was an Arizona law, adopted in 2010, requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone they stopped or anyone they suspected of being in the state illegally. Kobach played a major role in drafting that legislation.

The U.S. Supreme Court later overturned that law, saying it was pre-empted by federal law.

Kobach was not immediately available for comment Thursday. But Rep. Louis Ruiz, D-Kansas City, said the bill raises a number of concerns for him.

“The Highway Patrol has a lot more to do right now, with their numbers being down and their funding being down to start having extra duties,” he said.

The immigration enforcement bill was one of two pieces of legislation introduced on Kobach’s behalf Thursday. The second is a bill that was considered last year but died in the House prohibiting local governments and state agencies from adopting “sanctuary” policies for aliens who are unlawfully present in the U.S.