Thread: Georgia getting close on immigration reform

http://www.mdjonline.com/articles/2006/ ... 213940.txt

Georgia getting close on immigration reform


Sunday, March 26, 2006 3:10 AM EST

Just a short year or two ago, immigration reform was considered by many to be a fringe issue of interest primarily to extremists. How times change. That issue now has moved to center stage in Georgia, as evidenced by last week's overwhelming passage by the state House of a sweeping immigration reform bill.

The House voted 123-51 on Thursday in favor of the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, an earlier version of which was passed by the Senate and which was introduced by state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock). The measure would:

n Require anyone age 18 or older to provide proof of legal residence if they seek public benefits. Exceptions are wisely made for those seeking immunizations for communicable diseases and for mothers seeking prenatal care. And hospitals are already required by federal law to provide emergency care to all comers, regardless of residency status. The proposed law also would not preclude police and fire personnel from responding to calls at the homes of illegal residents, for example. (Public schools, meanwhile, are already mandated by federal law to educate the children of those here illegally.)

n Prohibit employers who hire illegal workers from claiming the wages paid to them as deductible business expenses on their state income tax returns.


n Require public contractors, such as those working on state-funded highway projects, to hire only workers who are legal residents. But if a subcontractor hires illegal aliens, he would be responsible, not the contractor.

n Pave the way for the state Department of Labor to set up a "Georgia Immigrant Worker Verification System" to make sure that only legal residents are hired by contractors with publicly funded contracts.

n Mandate that anyone jailed on felony or DUI charges has his or her residency status verified.

n Set up penalties of up to 20 years in prison for anyone convicted of recruiting or transporting anyone subjected to forced labor or sexual servitude.

n Assess a 5 percent fee on money transferred by wire to a foreign country if the sender is unable to prove he or she is in this country legally.

The measure now moves back to the Senate, which must decide whether to keep or drop the provision added by the House stipulating the 5 percent fee on wire transfers. Even some pro-reform advocates contend that assessing such fees might be unconstitutional and have the potential to ensnare the whole bill in a lawsuit. In light of those concerns, lawmakers might be wise to forego the fee and move on. Passing most of a bill that will withstand legal scrutiny is better than passing all of one that might not.

Other critics still contend that immigration reform is a federal matter, not a state one. Well, Georgia's lawmakers and their counterparts around the nation have bought that argument for far too long, and look where it has landed us, amidst a tide of illegal immigrants estimated at around 12 million people. Had Washington not ignored the problem, Georgia legislators would not be having to address it.


Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Hispanics stayed home from work on Friday in Georgia and across the country and in some cases held rallies to protest the Georgia bill and similar bills in other legislatures. The motive was an attempt to show how dependent the economy is on the labor of illegals.

Well, there's no question that illegals do play a vital role in our economy these days, or that most illegal aliens are admirably hard and honest workers. But the facts remains that they are here illegally, that they are developing a growing sense that they are entitled to be here, that they are a growing drain on public resources, and yet they pay comparatively little in the way of taxes, unlike legal residents.

All the more reason, we think, for the Georgia Senate and House to come to a quick decision on a final version of the bill - and for the president and Congress to finally focus on border security and on developing a workable and humane guest worker program, not one that amounts to amnesty by another name.

Just a short year or two ago, immigration reform was considered by many to be a fringe issue of interest primarily to extremists. . .

Yeah, like us way-out-there, fringe, wacko extremists who expect people to obey laws and expect laws to be enforced!! What a bunch of nuts, huh!?!