Senator pitches new illegal immigration bill

by Vicky Eckenrode
Morris News Service

The Senator who has taken the lead on pushing for a state response to illegal immigration introduced a new bill last month to start debate in the Legislature on the issue.

Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, wrote Senate Bill 529 by pulling together ideas from other bills he has already introduced this session on illegal immigration as well as new measures that have come from the numerous discussions on the topic that have taken place in recent months.

Dubbed the "Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance Act," the bill touches on law enforcement, state contracts, tax-funded benefits and employers who use undocumented workers. It would:

- Prohibit compensation to illegal immigrants to be declared a deductible business expense;

- Require that any publicly funded contract include language prohibiting the contractor or subcontractor from knowingly hiring someone in violation of federal immigration law;

- Require verification of eligibility for adult applicants for public benefits;

- Set tough new penalties for human trafficking.

Rogers said he is not expecting any major changes to the legislation as the Senate begins taking up the debate over illegal immigration, but he added that he is still open to ideas.

Rogers said he is looking to increase compliance in the state of federal laws that already exist regarding illegal immigration. "We hope this is a pretty comprehensive approach," he said.

Though Rogers stuck with language limiting tax-funded services, such as non-emergency medical care and social services, to legally qualifying Georgia residents, his bill says that only adults 18 and over will be asked to verify their legal status. Federal law allows for states to provide emergency care and primary education to illegal immigrants.

Critics of the state's push into immigration control interpret that to mean that children who are illegal immigrants will not be blocked from seeing doctors in non-emergency cases. "We can't punish children. It's immoral," said Sen. Sam Zamarripa, D-Atlanta. "The de facto is that children are not affected in this bill."

While he said he still does not think the state should be trying to fix a federal problem, but he has worked with Rogers in crafting the newest version of his bill.

Zamarripa said he pleased to see the legislation now addresses penalties for human smuggling. "We all agree that that's a problem; it is an issue in immigration when you have organized crime and organized traffickers that abuse people," he said.

Rogers also changed his approach to employers who hire illegal immigrants.

Initially, he had called for sanctions for employers who do not check the legal status of their workers through a federal database.

SB 529 now turns the enforcement into a tax issue under the control of the Department of Revenue, "who is probably the best way to enforce the laws," Rogers said.

Payments to a person of $600 or more could not be claimed as a deductible expense on employers' state income taxes unless the worker has provided a valid document to prove he or she is in the country legally.