GEORGIA SENATE VOTED TO PASS SB40

While I was out of the country, the Georgia Senate kept busy - it voted 34 to 21 to pass Senate Bill 40, the Senate's version of HB87, while not as bad as the House Bill, it establishes verification requirements for companies with 5 or more employees to enroll in E-Verify (as well as all government contractors), and extends authority to local law enforcement officers to verify immigration status of people they encounter. Instead of forming a House-Senate conference committee to resolve a final immigration bill that would have public hearings, the Georgia legislature has been quietly trying to avoid this. SB40 has now been substituted with language from HB87 (as of the date of this blog). Both are Arizona style laws that are BAD FOR GEORGIA. SB40 now passed out of the House Judiciary Committee, and then it will go to the Rules Committee and could be before the full GA House of Representatives this week. Since changes were made to SB40, it would then go back to the Senate for Agree/Disagree vote. If the Senate agrees (very likely), then it would go to the Governor for signature. If the Senate Disagrees, then it would kick in a Conference Committee which will be charged to come up with a compromise bill, which would then be presented to the Legislature for an Agree/Disagree vote. Tough situation all around, and the legislature is doing all it can to pass this quietly without holding public hearings on these outrageous bills that do nothing to stop illegal immigration.