A high-profile Republican senator backed away Thursday
from a bill he filed last year that would have prevented
illegal immigrants from enrolling in Georgia's public
university system.
Sen. Chip Rogers, (R-Woodstock), filed several measures
during the 2005 Legislative session aimed at cracking down
on illegal immigrants in the state.
The Senate's Republican leaders have singled out illegal
immigration as a priority issue for this year's session. But
they said they plan to focus on passing a bill that would
require anyone who signs up for taxpayer-funded benefits
administered by the state, including welfare, Medicaid and
PeachCare, to provide proof of legal residence, both in
Georgia and the United States.
Rogers said he withdrew SB 171 because it was not a
priority for the GOP.
"Instead of letting it remain in news reports and
headlines, we decided to officially remove it from
consideration," Rogers said.
Rogers said he agrees with the bill in principle, because
it is already in federal law. "Because federal law is clear
in this area, it is another example of where it is not being
enforced," Rogers said.
Sen. Sam Zamarripa (D-Atlanta) said he thinks that it is
crucial that the state Board of Regents — the body that
oversees the university system— remain independent.
"From time to time, there's a temptation for the
Legislature to inject themselves into the university
system," Zamarripa said. "Sometimes it's to punish people or
to restrict; rarely is it to make it broader. This would
have set an unfortunate precedent if SB 171 made it to the
floor. ..."
The Senate did not debate any of the bills Rogers filed
last year, and they did not discuss the unanimous decision
to withdraw Senate Bill 171.
Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia
Association of Latino Elected Officials, commended Rogers
for withdrawing the bill. "We're glad that Sen. Rogers has
taken denying access to higher education off the table," he
said. "I think it is important, as Gov. [Sonny] Perdue is
focusing this session on promoting education, that we take
the education of all Georgians seriously. And that includes
undocumented children."
Rogers is pushing two other bills related to illegal
immigration. One measure, Senate Bill 169, would require
companies seeking government work to sign a contract saying
they are not hiring illegals. The other bill, called the
Georgia Fair Employment Act, would prevent private employers
from using the wages they pay illegal immigrants as a tax
deductible expense.
