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Illegal immigrant legislation introduced
By Jim Tharpe | Thursday, February 9, 2006, 10:54 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Legislation to crack down on illegal immigrants in Georgia — and businesses that hire them — was introduced today in the state Senate, setting the stage for a heated debate in coming weeks at the state Legislature.

State Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) introduced the Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance Act (Senate Bill 529), which would:

Prohibit compensation to illegal immigrants to be declared a deductible business expense

Require that any publicly funded contract include language prohibiting the contractor or subcontractor from knowingly hiring someone in violation of federal immigration law

Require verification of eligibility for adult applicants for public benefits.

Set tough new penalties for human trafficking

Estimates on the number of illegal immigrants in Georgia range from 250,000 to 800,000. Proponents of a crackdown say illegals sap resources from state programs and take jobs from legal residents. Critics of the proposals say illegals take jobs that nobody else wants and help underpin the economy while having a minimal impact on public programs.

Rogers has said his bill is an attempt to begin a dialogue on illegal immigration, which is expected to be one of the hot-button issues this year at the General Assembly.

“Any person that compensates another person $600 or more during the year would have to receive from that person some documented evidence that they are here legally,â€