Senate bill links road money to immigration status
By MARY LOU PICKEL


Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Local governments that don’t check to make sure they are not hiring illegal immigrants could lose state money for building roads, under legislation that passed the Senate on Wednesday.

House Bill 2 would deny road money to a city or county that does not sign up to use federal databases to make sure new workers are not illegal immigrants. It also requires local governments to make sure people who receive public benefits are in the U.S. legally.

Three years ago, Georgia lawmakers approved a far-reaching crackdown on illegal immigration, but critics say it lacked teeth. H.B. 2 adds those teeth by withholding money for road improvements if local governments don’t comply with the law.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to take steps to get compliance with the original law,â€