"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 3/29/'06 12:05AM
"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 3/29/'06
3/29/'06 - The following article(s) were found in the media. Several stories are provided ... with links to the original sources ... for your convenience:
Legislature sends illegal immigration bill to Perdue
Immigration Bill Heads for Perdue
- Georgia Legislative Diary for Tuesday, March 28
- Governor gets illegals bill
- Immigration Bill Heads for Perdue
- Georgia Lawmakers Reach Accord on Immigration
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/03/27/daily20.html
Legislature sends illegal immigration bill to Perdue
A bill targeting illegal immigrants and their employers cleared the Georgia General Assembly on the penultimate day of the 2006 legislative session and awaits only the signature of Gov. Sonny Perdue to become law.
In its final form, Senate Bill 529 by state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) would:
- require all employers in Georgia to verify the legal status of their workers in order to claim a state income tax deduction on their salaries
- require employers to withhold the standard 6 percent state income tax from the paychecks of "independent contractors" who do not provide a taxpayer identification number or Social Security number
- require companies with government contracts to verify their workers' legal status electronically through a free federal program
- require people who want to use certain public benefits to prove they are in Georgia legally
The compromise version of the bill -- which passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday by a margin of 119-49 after the Senate approved it 39-16 on Monday -- also cracks down on human traffickers and the "notarios" who help immigrants procure identification documents. In addition, SB 529 paves the way for state police officers to receive training in the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
Most of the provisions would take effect beginning July 1, 2007.
An estimated 250,000 to 800,000 illegal immigrants live in Georgia, with a considerable but indeterminate impact on the state's health care, educational and criminal justice systems. Their presence here, and legislators' decision to address it via SB 529, was one of the biggest issues of the 2006 session.
Democrats in both chambers tried to get GOP leaders to put off SB 529 while Congress debates federal legislation that might pre-empt portions of the bill. On March 24, the immigrant community in Atlanta conducted a work stoppage and boycott in protest of SB 529; at the same time, massive demonstrations against the federal legislation were staged in other cities.
"If you're not legally within this country, you should be upset," said House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram). "I'm not going to sit around here and wait on Congress."
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http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=77942
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The House and Senate have both adjourned until the final day Thursday.
By a vote of 119-to-49, the House sent the immigration crackdown to Gov. Perdue. Many Latino groups, which have demonstrated at the Capitol in the past week, want him to veto the bill.
The bill requires most adults seeking state services to prove they are in the U.S. legally, and it gives local police and sheriffs training in immigration enforcement.
But lawmakers took out a five percent surcharge on wire money transfers by illegal immigrants. Instead, employers will withhold six percent of the paycheck of anyone without a valid tax ID number.
The bill comes as the U.S. Congress is working to ease the path to citizenship for people already inside the United States.
Opponents say the state bill sends the wrong message.
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Posted on Tue, Mar. 28, 2006
Georgia Legislative Diary for Tuesday, March 28
Associated Press
HEADLINES
Relations turned sour at the state Capitol on Tuesday as Republican leaders of the House and Senate announced they were deadlocked on the $18.6 billion budget on the legislative session's second to last day. Each blamed the other for the bitter impasse, which could throw the legislative session into overtime.
ODDS & ENDS
_The House gave final approval to a sweeping bill that would deny some state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally, sending what would be some of the nation's toughest immigration rules to the governor. The move, which passed by a 119-49 vote, came after the state's labor chief warned that the compromise brokered between House and Senate lawmakers may create a sort of amnesty for some undocumented workers.
_The House agreed to a compromise over a proposal that would stiffen penalties on sex offenders. The bill would jack up the minimum prison sentences for so-called sexual predators and would set stricter limits on where those offenders may live, work and visit after being released from prison. The House agreed to the compromise by a 140-13 vote.
_Black law enforcement officers who were denied access to a retirement fund because of their race will be able to enroll now under a bill on its way to Gov. Sonny Perdue's desk. The bill, which passed 50-0 in the Senate, has been a project of state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta, for several years.
_The Pie Lady of Powder Springs may be back in business after all. House lawmakers approved a Senate proposal allowing Willie Watts' home-based fried pie bakery to allow selling up to $2,000 worth of homemade products annually without being licensed or inspected. Watts' business had been shut down by the state agricultural department after a tipster told officials her kitchen didn't have the proper license.
_Sheriffs would be required to prepare a plan for courthouse security under a bill House lawmakers approved by a 129-32 vote. That plan would then be submitted to the chief judge in each judicial circuit, where it can be modified. State Rep. David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said it's aimed at preventing something similar to the Fulton County courthouse shootings that killed three last year, including a judge.
_Moments before House lawmakers were set to vote on overhauling the state's child support guidelines, the bill's sponsor asked that it be shelved for the day. State Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, said he wanted more time to consider the Senate's changes.
_A dozen protesters, some with dogs in tow, braved the drizzle and rallied outside the state Capitol calling on the House to pass a bill to get tough on dog fighting. "No excuse for animal abuse," read one sign. The bill makes it a crime to attend a dog fight and to breed dogs for fighting. It has already passed in the Senate, where it was expanded to include cockfighting
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"We might not be able to pass an $18 billion budget, but we can get out some fried pies." - House Speaker Glenn Richardson on a bill that would help the "Pie Lady of Powder Springs" sell her fried pies out of her home's kitchen.
DAYS IN SESSION
Tuesday was the 39th day of the 2006 session; 1 day remains.
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Governor gets illegals bill
Sponsor acknowledges long road ahead
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/29/06
The Georgia General Assembly's attempt to confront illegal immigration won final legislative approval Tuesday. But anyone expecting quick results will be disappointed.
Even the author of the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act has stressed that his bill will not solve most Georgians' complaints about people who are in the country illegally.
"It took 30 years to get here, and we're not going to solve it overnight," said state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), who wrote the 13-page bill. "This is a multiyear process."
The measure, Senate Bill 529, won final approval Tuesday in the Georgia House
119-49 in an anticlimactic, procedural vote. Gov. Sonny Perdue is expected to sign the bill into law but has not indicated when.
Many of the things the bill does address will not be dealt with for more than a year at the earliest. And some key provisions will not kick in until near the end of the decade.
The bill requires government agencies to verify the legal status of any adult applying for taxpayer-provided benefits. But the bill exempts things like prenatal care and treatment for communicable diseases.
And the bill did not even attempt to deal with what are estimated to be the largest costs: emergency medical care for illegal immigrants or the ability of their children to attend public schools. Those taxpayer-supported services have been guaranteed by the federal courts.
'This is the art of politics'
Major provisions of the bill are aimed at employers who hire illegal immigrants. The measure attempts to guarantee that employees of companies that hold public contracts hire only workers who are legally in the country, beginning July 1, 2007, for large companies. The provision for the smallest employers would not be triggered until July 1, 2009.
A centerpiece of the legislation, a provision that would attempt to make private employers hire only legal workers, would not kick in until the 2008 tax year. That means enforcement would not come until 2009.
Rogers said he wanted an earlier trigger date, but powerful farming and business interests weighed in with legislators in their districts. The message was clear: Activate this part of the proposal too soon and it won't pass.
"I would have lobbied for a much earlier date," Rogers said. "But this is the art of politics, and I'd rather have something rather than nothing."
The bill is expected to have little if any impact on the massive cash economy in which many illegal immigrants work. A landscaper who pays illegal immigrants in cash and does not attempt to claim their wages as a business expense on his state taxes would not be affected.
"I don't know how to solve that part of the problem," Rogers said as the bill neared final passage. The bill also does little to address the massive problem of bogus documents, which many illegal immigrants buy to make them appear legal. Rogers has bemoaned the lack of any viable solution to that problem, but said it has to be addressed to get a real handle on illegal immigration.
Earlier this week, lawmakers deleted a section of the bill that would have imposed a 5 percent fee for illegal immigrants wiring money out of the country, because they feared it could not withstand legal scrutiny.
Proponents say the legislation is needed because the federal government has failed to secure the borders, allowing waves of illegal immigrants to flood Georgia — estimates range from 250,000 to 800,000. Supporters of a crackdown say they have overburdened the state's taxpayer-supported services while paying few taxes.
Critics say those undocumented workers underpin many industries and take jobs Americans refuse to do. They view Rogers' bill as a misguided effort that has created fear and confusion in the immigrant community.
"It's unfortunate that the state thinks that they need to weigh in on immigration, particularly when it's a federal issue and the U.S. Senate is poised to act on this issue," said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday approved a bill that would create a foreign guest worker program and put millions of illegal immigrants on track toward permanent residency and U.S. citizenship.
Georgia officials say they are acting because the federal government has failed to address the issue over the past decade. Polls show that more than 80 percent of Georgians want state lawmakers to deal with the issue, a powerful motivator in an election year when all 236 legislative seats are up for grabs.
"I'm not going to sit around here and wait for Congress or the Supreme Court or anyone else," House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) said following Tuesday's vote. "We've taken the lead on this issue."
Similar measures in U.S.
Georgia is not alone. The National Conference on State Legislatures reported last month that legislators in 42 states had introduced more than 360 bills related to immigration.
"I am very relieved that the Georgia Legislature has listened to the 82 percent of Georgians who demanded that something be done here to begin to address the illegal immigration crisis," said D.A. King, an illegal immigration opponent from Cobb County. "Many people will now see the true determination of the illegal alien lobby who will spend a lot of money challenging this in federal court."
Tisha Tallman, regional counsel for the Atlanta office of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said SB 529 is potentially unconstitutional because it pre-empts federal law. MALDEF, which has challenged similar measures in other states, is considering a lawsuit if SB 529 is signed into law, she said.
Staff writer Ann Hardie and Knight Ridder Newspapers contributed to this article.
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Immigration Bill Heads for Perdue
Make Us Home
The House and Senate have both adjourned until the final day Thursday.
By a vote of 119-to-49, the House sent the immigration crackdown to Gov. Perdue. Many Latino groups, which have demonstrated at the Capitol in the past week, want him to veto the bill.
The bill requires most adults seeking state services to prove they are in the U.S. legally, and it gives local police and sheriffs training in immigration enforcement.
But lawmakers took out a five percent surcharge on wire money transfers by illegal immigrants. Instead, employers will withhold six percent of the paycheck of anyone without a valid tax ID number.
The bill comes as the U.S. Congress is working to ease the path to citizenship for people already inside the United States.
Opponents say the state bill sends the wrong message.
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http://www.wsav.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSAV/MGArticle/SAV_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137834995715&path=!frontpage
ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia House and Senate members reached agreement today on sweeping legislation to crack down on illegal immirgrants and the employers who hire them.
The state Senate gave the bill final passage by a vote of 39 to 16. The House is expected to take up the measure later this week.
If it is signed into law, Georgia will be the among the first states with legislation tackling such a broad range of immigration issues, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and advocates from both sides of the aisle.
The bill would verify that adults seeking many state-administered benefits -- such as non-emergency medical care and unemployment checks -- are in the country legally. It would also sanction employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, punishing them through the tax code.
Companies seeking state contracts must verify that their workers are not illegal immigrants. The bill would mandate that police officers screen the immigration status of people they arrest. It would put in place strict new human trafficking laws.
Georgia's House and Senate passed differing versions of the immigration bill earlier this month. A six-member conference committee, composed of lawmakers from both chambers, reached an accord Monday morning.
Stripped from the final version is a five percent fee to wire transfers by people who could not prove they were in the country legally.
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Erik Voss
erik@ICAtlanta.org
404-457-5901 Direct
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