"I think it's getting better," Huntsman said in an interview. Asked if he would sign SB81 as it was passed by the Senate, Huntsman said, "I'm getting more comfortable with what I'm seeing and hearing."

The bill rolls together an array of immigration measures, but senators voted last week to postpone implementation of the bill until July 2009. In the meantime, the Senate approved creation of a task force to study the immigration issue.

Huntsman said Thursday he thinks that that is a prudent approach, because he anticipates the federal government will pass immigration reform next year.

"Waiting until the federal government takes action so we know what the broad overlay is going to be in terms of federal guidance and then we can fill in the gaps is probably the best way to proceed with something this large and complex," he said.

SB81 passed the Senate this week, and it is expected to come up for House debate by Monday.

The governor expressed concerns about some of the immigration legislation, particularly a proposal to repeal in-state college tuition for undocumented students. The House-passed measure is stuck in the Senate Rules Committee, and a plan to kill the state's driving-privilege card is dead.