"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 3/27/'06 5PM
"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 3/27/'06 5PM
3/27/'06 - The following article(s) were found in the media. Several stories are provided ... with links to the original sources ... for your convenience:
Illegal immigration bill revised, nears final approval (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
- Georgia lawmakers reach accord on immigration (AP)
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/03/27/daily5.html
Illegal immigration bill revised, nears final approval
Six state legislators huddled Monday morning in a conference committee to hash out the differences between House and Senate versions of a bill that would regulate illegal immigrants and their employers.
Senate Bill 529 was headed toward final passage by both chambers Monday afternoon -- at press time, the Senate had endorsed it by a vote of 36-19 -- minus a program that would have allowed the state labor department to conduct spot checks for illegals at Georgia businesses with government contracts.
The program was added to the bill March 22 at the request of labor commissioner Michael Thurmond. The conference committee tossed it due to concerns of duplication with another provision requiring government contractors to sign up for a free federal program that electronically checks the legal status of new hires.Also removed from SB 529: language that would have charged illegals a 5 percent fee for wire transfers to other countries, described by proponents as a way to make sure more of the money earned by the estimated 250,000 to 800,000 illegals in Georgia stays here.
Instead, employers would be required to withhold the standard 6 percent state income tax from wages paid to illegals with the 1099 "independent contractor" tax form. The author of SB 529, state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), said he modeled the provision on the laws of other jurisdictions, particularly those in California, that have implemented such a requirement.
Rogers acknowledged that the new language -- as well as another provision requiring employers to verify their workers' legal status in order to claim state income tax deductions on their salaries -- will not stop the hiring of day laborers, who are paid in cash.
"It took 30 years to get here," Rogers said, "and we're not going to solve this overnight."
Joining Rogers on the conference committee were Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security Chairman Brian Kemp (R-Athens) and Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Chairman Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg), along with state Reps. Tom Graves (R-Ranger), John Lunsford (R-McDonough) and Greg Morris (D-Vidalia).
The committee left intact portions of the bill that would require people seeking to use certain public benefits to prove they are in Georgia legally; crack down on the "notarios" who help immigrants procure identification documents; and provide tough penalties for those convicted of human trafficking.
------------------------------------------------
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/14198402.htm
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=73235
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=102352
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/14198402.htm
Posted on Mon, Mar. 27, 2006
Georgia lawmakers reach accord on immigration
SHANNON McCAFFREY
Associated Press
ATLANTA - Georgia House and Senate members reached agreement Monday on sweeping immigration legislation to crack down on adults living in the country illegally and the employers who knowingly hire them.
The state Senate gave the bill final passage by a vote of 39 to 16. The House was expected to take up the measure later in the day.
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.
"They're out of the gate first," said Ann Morse, program director for the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The bill would verify that adults seeking many state-administered benefits - like 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.
Morse said the comprehensiveness of the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act "appears to be unique."
The action in Georgia comes as the U.S. Senate grapples with new get-tough federal immigration policies. Over the weekend, thousands of people in cities around the U.S. protested the congressional action.
In Georgia, the state immigration bill has sparked its share of rallies and protests. Some immigrants refused to show up to work on Friday in what was billed as a "day of dignity" opposing the tough new measure.
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.
State Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, the bill's main sponsor, said he was satisfied with the final version.
Most provisions of the bill would take effect on July 1, 2007.
Supporters say the plan is a vital homeland security measure that frees up limited state resources for Georgia residents who are legally entitled to them. Opponents say it unfairly targets workers who are merely responding to the demands of some of the state's largest industries.
Stripped from the final version was one controversial provision, added in the House, which would have tacked on a 5 percent fee to wire transfers by people who could not prove they were in the country legally.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has not said whether he will sign the bill. His spokesman, Dan McLagan, said the Republican governor does not comment on legislation that is still pending. But Perdue has already moved to tighten up screening for taxpayer-funded benefits like Medicaid to require proof of income and citizenship.
Tisha Tallman, Southeast regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, called the Georgia bill "inhumane and potentially unconstitutional" She said a legal challenge was likely.
Mike Hethmon, general counsel for legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said he expected other states would follow Georgia's lead and said the bill had been drawn up with an eye to a trip through the courts.
"The bill that's going to be signed, I think, is pretty much lawsuit-proof in constitutional terms," Hethmon said.
As of Feb. 26, legislators in 42 states had introduced 368 bills related to immigration, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures.
-------------------------------------------------
--
Erik Voss
erik@ICAtlanta.org
404-457-5901 Direct
<< Home