GA legislative records: on Immigration


Brian Kemp: Check immigration status after minor offenses

Legislative Summary: When any person charged with a felony or with driving under the influence is confined in a county or municipal jail, a reasonable effort shall be made to determine the nationality of the person so confined.

Registration of Immigration Assistance Act: To establish and enforce standards of ethics in the profession of immigration assistance by private individuals who are not licensed attorneys.

OnTheIssues Interpretation: Immigrants are allowed to get legal help, but those helping must register, and may offer only limited help. They must declare in writing that they are not an attorney, and cannot give legal advice. The purpose is to make the process harder for illegal immigrants to get legal help, and hence to increase deportations.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 39-16-0 on March 27 vote #1037; Sen. Kemp voted YES; passed House 119-49-8 on March 28 vote #1076; signed by Gov. Perdue April 17.

Source: Georgia legislative voting records: SB 529 Mar 27, 2006

Casey Cagle: Check immigration status after minor offenses

Legislative Summary: When any person charged with a felony or with driving under the influence is confined in a county or municipal jail, a reasonable effort shall be made to determine the nationality of the person so confined.

Registration of Immigration Assistance Act: To establish and enforce standards of ethics in the profession of immigration assistance by private individuals who are not licensed attorneys.

OnTheIssues Interpretation: Immigrants are allowed to get legal help, but those helping must register, and may offer only limited help. They must declare in writing that they are not an attorney, and cannot give legal advice. The purpose is to make the process harder for illegal immigrants to get legal help, and hence to increase deportations.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 39-16-0 on March 27 vote #1037; Sen. Cagle voted YES; passed House 119-49-8 on March 28 vote #1076; signed by Gov. Perdue April 17.

Source: Georgia legislative voting records: SB 529 Mar 27, 2006

Sonny Perdue: Check immigration status after minor offenses

Legislative Summary: When any person charged with a felony or with driving under the influence is confined in a county or municipal jail, a reasonable effort shall be made to determine the nationality of the person so confined.

Registration of Immigration Assistance Act: To establish and enforce standards of ethics in the profession of immigration assistance by private individuals who are not licensed attorneys.

OnTheIssues Interpretation: Immigrants are allowed to get legal help, but those helping must register, and may offer only limited help. They must declare in writing that they are not an attorney, and cannot give legal advice. The purpose is to make the process harder for illegal immigrants to get legal help, and hence to increase deportations.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 39-16-0 on March 27 vote #1037; passed House 119-49-8 on March 28 vote #1076; signed by Gov. Perdue April 17.

Source: Georgia legislative voting records: SB 529 Apr 17, 2006

Stacey Abrams: Colleges need not act as immigration enforcement officers

HB 37: Would prohibit any private postsecondary institution eligible for tuition equalization grants from implementing a sanctuary policy. Sanctuary policies restrict employees' cooperation with federal and state officials or law enforcement officers reporting immigration status information. Any private postsecondary institution that refuses to cooperate may lose state funding or state-administered federal funding, which includes scholarship funds received by students of the institution.

MY VOTE: NO. Institutions of higher learning should not be compelled to act as immigration enforcement officers for any branch of government. More concerning, if the institution violates the policy, all students would be punished. For example, if a school violates the policy, any HOPE Grant recipient could lose his or her funding, regardless of immigration status.

Source: 2018 campaign website on Georgia voting record HB 37 Mar 30, 2017

Vernon Jones: Colleges should not be allowed to have sanctuary policies

HB 37: Would prohibit any private postsecondary institution eligible for tuition equalization grants from implementing a sanctuary policy. Sanctuary policies restrict employees' cooperation with federal and state officials or law enforcement officers reporting immigration status information. Any private postsecondary institution that refuses to cooperate may lose state funding or state-administered federal funding, which includes scholarship funds received by students.

Speaker Stacey Abrams opinion in support of voting NO: Institutions of higher learning should not be compelled to act as immigration enforcement officers. More concerning, if the institution violates the policy, all students would be punished. For example, if a school violates the policy, any HOPE Grant recipient could lose funding, regardless of immigration status.

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 112-57-11 on Feb/22/17; Speaker Abrams voted NO; State Rep. Vernon Jones voted YES.

Source: Speaker Stacey Abrams website on Georgia voting record HB 37 Feb 22, 2017

  • The above quotations are from Legislative voting records for Georgia House and Senate.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
Candidates and political leaders on Immigration:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Feb 13, 2023