Lawmakers eye immigration bills

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
March 8, 2011
ATLANTA, GA
By Jeremy Redmon

Georgia lawmakers were just getting started last week when the House approved major legislation targeting illegal immigrants and the people and businesses who hire them.

That legislation --- House Bill 87 --- is the longest and most comprehensive of more than nine bills now pending in the Legislature concerning illegal immigration.

HB 87 authorizes state and local police to verify the immigration status of certain suspects. It punishes certain people who knowingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants here. And it penalizes people who "willfully and fraudulently" use fake identification to get jobs in Georgia.

The other bills do a number of other things, including banning illegal immigrants from attending state colleges and collecting workers' compensation and jobless benefits. The chief sponsors of all of these bills are Republicans.

Some bills don't appear to be going anywhere yet with the legislation session more than half over, while others are moving through the process.

Here's an update:

*House Bill 59: This legislation bars illegal immigrants from attending Georgia's universities and technical colleges. Current law allows illegal immigrants to attend the schools but requires them to pay higher out-of-state tuition. This bill passed the House Higher Education Committee last month. Rep. Tom Rice of Norcross is the bill's sponsor.

*House Bill 296: Local school and hospital officials would be required to count the illegal immigrants they serve each year under this bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Josh Clark of Buford. Federal law, however, requires hospitals to treat all emergency room patients, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay. And the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that school districts must educate all children regardless of their immigration status. This bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. The chairman of that committee, Republican Rep. Rich Golick of Smyrna, said Friday he has concerns about placing new burdens on schools and hospitals. He said no hearing date has been scheduled yet for the bill.

*Senate Bill 7: Sponsored by Sen. Bill Heath of Bremen, this bill bans illegal immigrants from collecting workers' compensation benefits for on-the-job injuries. The head of the state workers' compensation board said illegal immigrants have been awarded benefits in keeping with court decisions. SB 7 has been referred to the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee. The chairman of that committee on Friday declined to comment on a timetable for this bill.

*Senate Bill 27: This bill seeks to toughen existing laws aimed at preventing state agencies and counties from hiring illegal immigrants for taxpayer-funded projects in Georgia. The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a hearing on the bill last week to give the sponsor --- Sen. Judson Hill of Marietta --- time to review a softer substitute version.

*Senate Bill 40: This bill is similar to HB 87 but shorter and smaller in scope. Like HB 87, this bill requires many private businesses to use a federal program to verify their new employees are eligible to work in the United States. The sponsor, Sen. Jack Murphy of Cumming, yanked much of the teeth out of this bill before the Senate Judiciary Committee approved it Wednesday.

*Senate Bill 65: Heath is also sponsoring this bill, which is aimed at blocking illegal immigrants from collecting unemployment benefits. Much of the language in Heath's bill is already in state law. And the state Labor Department said Georgia doesn't have the problem the legislation is targeting. SB 65 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. A Senate spokesman said Friday that no committee hearing date has been set for this bill.

*Senate Bill 104: This legislation mirrors HB 87 and SB 40. But it also punishes motorists who pick up day laborers under certain circumstances. And it would allow warrantless arrests of people who police have probable cause to believe have committed "any public offenses" that make them eligible for deportation. Sen. Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga is sponsoring this legislation. It has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has not set a time to hear this bill.

*Senate Bill 174: Sen. Charlie Bethel of Dalton is seeking through this legislation to require all jails in Georgia to participate in a federal immigration enforcement program called "Secure Communities." The program compares the fingerprints of people booked into jails against a federal database. If the program identifies illegal immigrants, federal officials could seek to deport them. This bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is preparing to discuss the measure on Wednesday.

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