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GEORGIA LT GOV GEOFF DUNCAN HAS APPOINTED STATE SENATOR CHUCK PAYNE TO COMMITTEE CHAIR “…politics is best and high standard of Moral Turpitude in law.”

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Photo: Dustin Inman Society

Including this post, the full DIS “Chuck Payne” file here.

From the Office of Lt. Governor, Geoff Duncan:

Senate Announces New Committee Chairs

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Today, Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and the Senate Committee on Assignments announced new standing committee chairs for the first session of the 156th Georgia General Assembly.

“These committee chairs are uniquely qualified to develop real and lasting solutions aimed at building a better Georgia,” said Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan. “The Senate will continue to prioritize diligent committee work and sound public policy, and I look forward to working closely with each one of our chairs, and their committee members, as we work to enact policies that advance both the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians.”

The following members were named to chair standing committees:

Sen. Larry Walker (R – 20) will serve as chair of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee.

Sen. Blake Tillery (R – 19) will serve as chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Matt Brass (R – 28) will serve as chair of the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.

Sen. Bruce Thompson (R – 14) will serve as chair of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee.

–>Sen. Chuck Payne (R – 54) will serve as chair of the Education and Youth Committee.

Sen. Max Burns (R – 23) will serve as chair of the Ethics Committee.

Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R – 52) will serve as chair of the Finance Committee.

Sen. Marty Harbin (R – 16) will serve as chair of the Government Oversight Committee.

Sen. Ben Watson (R – 1) will serve as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee.

Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R – 37) will serve as chair of the Higher Education Committee.

Sen. Dean Burke (R – 11) will serve as chair of the Insurance and Labor Committee.

Sen. Donzella James (D – 35) will serve as chair of the Interstate Cooperation Committee.

Sen. Brian Strickland (R – 17) will serve as chair of the Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Tyler Harper (R – 7) will serve as chair of the Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.

Sen. John Albers (R – 56) will serve as chair of the Public Safety Committee.

Sen. John F. Kennedy (R – 18) will serve as chair of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee.

Sen. Bill Cowsert (R – 46) will serve as chair of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.

Sen. Randy Robertson (R – 29) will serve as chair of the Retirement Committee.

Sen. Jeff Mullis (R – 53) will serve as chair of the Rules Committee.

Sen. Greg Dolezal (R – 27) will serve as chair of the Science and Technology Committee.

Sen. Jennifer Jordan (D – 6) will serve as chair of the Special Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Lee Anderson (R – 24) will serve as chair of the State and Local Governmental Operations Committee.

Sen. Ed Harbison (D – 15) will serve as chair of the State Institutions and Property Committee.

Sen. Frank Ginn (R – 47) will serve as chair of the Transportation Committee.

Sen. Lester Jackson (D – 2) will serve as chair of the Urban Affairs Committee.

Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R – 32) will serve as chair of the Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committee.

A comprehensive list of committee appointments can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U2QQpTlfaf1NvGpKoHNEGK6eYnWgrgWARBPqVqmctfA/edit?usp=sharing

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Press Contact:

Macy McFall

Deputy Chief of Staff &

Director of Communications

Macy.McFall@ltgov.ga.gov

Office: 404-463-1380

 

Georgia not one of them: 15 states sue to block Biden’s push to help illegal aliens with DACA to access subsidized ObamaCare

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GA AG Chris Carr
Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr not a signer. The complaint alleges that the final rule violates two provisions of federal law. The rule, which the Biden administration finalized this spring, redefines the term “lawfully present” to make participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program eligible for Exchange subsidies.
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15 states sue to block Biden’s effort to help migrants in US illegally get health coverage

Associated Press/WSB-TV
By JOHN HANNA

TOPEKA, Kan. — (AP) — Fifteen states filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Biden administration over a rule that is expected to allow 100,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to enroll next year in the federal Affordable Care Act’s health insurance.

The states are seeking to block the rule from taking effect Nov. 1 and providing people known as “Dreamers” access to tax breaks when they sign up for coverage. The Affordable Care Act’s marketplace enrollment opens the same day, just four days ahead of the presidential election.

The states filed suit in North Dakota, one of the states involved. All have Republican attorneys general who are part of a GOP effort to thwart Biden administration rules advancing Democratic policy goals.

The lawsuit argues that the rule violates a 1996 welfare reform law and the ACA. They also said it would encourage more immigrants to come to the U.S. illegally, burdening the states and their public school systems. Many economists have concluded that immigrants (we note this story from the P is about illegal aliens – dak) provide a net economic benefit, and immigration appears to have fueled job growth after the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented a recession….
Read the rest here.
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—>    Another more detailed report from The Federalist here.

 

Producers of the realmuckraker.com video on ineligible voters in Georgia need adult supervision – with info on GALEO

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Screen shot from @muckraker video.

 

Note: It looks like it’s “realmuckraker.com” and “@muckraker” on X.  Correcti0ns welcomed.

There is a video from something called “realmuckraker.com”  (“Non-Citizens Registered to Vote in Georgia“) going around that features Hispanic people apparently living in Gwinnett County GA. being asked if they are registered to vote or if they have already voted. Some of those asked say they are not U.S. citizens but have indeed already voted. Others say they are here illegally and are registered to vote. It seems easy enough to verify…

The @muckraker video has been sent here by numerous people – many of whom I haven’t heard from in a long time.

Observations:

If you are looking for an example of the power created by corporate donations to radical, far-left, anti-enforcement groups here in Georgia that loudly boast about their decade-long push to register voters, see the GALEO Inc. concern founded by former MALDEF board member and former Democrat Georgia state Senator Sam Zamarippa. It has been run since its inception in 2003 by a former MALDEF lobbyist and Democrat fundraiser, Jerry Gonzalez, who is a determined and perpetually angry Marxist ethnic hustler.

  • Bonus education on MALDEF: “…Co-founder Mario Obledo said in 1998: “California is going to be a Hispanic state and anyone who doesn’t like it should leave. They ought to go back to Europe.”

To get started on the GALEO voter registration caper, see here and here and here and here.

GALEO staffers go door to door to register voters.

 

A long-time member of the GALEO Inc. Board of Directors, Dax Lopez, saw his Obama-sponsored nomination for a lifetime seat on the federal bench go down in flames when the GALEO ties were made public. This writer was happy to lead that fight and create the deciding online exposure that we shared with our U.S. Senators then.

“Unauthorized population” vs non-citizens

The realmuckraker.com video has some serious flaws in that is presents a table from the leftist Migration Policy Institute with an out-of-date estimate of the “Unauthorized Population” living in Georgia. “Unauthorized” is one of the many “don’t say illegal” words used by the anti-enforcement side to describe illegal aliens. We think MPI’s numbers are drastically low as they have been up long before the Democrats opened the southern border when the Biden/Harris administration took over the White House.

Screen shot from the @muckrakers video

But that’s not the point: MPI is estimating illegal aliens living in Georgia. The narrative presented by the gang at @realmuckraker / actforamerica substack talks about “non-citizens” – foreigners living in Georgia – legally or not.

For clarity: A German Mercedes Benz executive here on a temporary work visa living with his family in Atlanta is a “non-citizen” – but not part of the “unauthorized population.”  Nether are the members of his family, assuming they came on a visa (such as an H-4 visa).

The (dated and too low) info in the video from MPI is on “unauthorized population.” (illegal aliens). The video narrative presented says “non-citizens” – which includes foreigners here legally. It’s sloppy and unprofessional. Conflating illegals with foreign nationals here lawfully has a significant effect on the stats in the realmuckraker’s breathless conclusion that there may be “over forty-seven thousand non-citizens registered to vote” in Georgia. It’s a shame that so many people are getting an unfounded view of this issue.

That said – I have no idea if or how many ineligible voters have been registered by GALEO Inc. and the Democrats. But neither do the well-intentioned people who are sending me this whacky video. Because they aren’t paying attention.

 

Fast Fact: About 4000 illegal aliens graduate from Georgia high schools each year #DualEnrollment

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* Related reading: What’s better than instate tuition for illegal aliens? Georgia’s Dual Enrollment program

The slanted weeper below from the far left The Guardian.com is agonizing over Georgia law that excludes illegal aliens from instate tuition in public colleges and attendance at several other taxpayer-funded colleges. But it is useful in that it puts a number of illegal aliens in our high schools. We caution readers to grasp that the actual number is likely much higher because of Biden’s ongoing open border policies. We note that according to federal law illegal aliens are not eligible to work in the U.S.

* Related reading: Who is Emiko Soltis?

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Free tuition, secret locations: the ‘underground university’ teaching 25 undocumented students at a time

TheGuardian.com

31 May 2024

“But even that pipeline doesn’t reach many of the estimated 4,000 undocumented students who graduate from Georgia’s high schools every year, as the much less expensive public colleges and universities remain out of reach.”

“Only hours after Joe Biden spoke at Atlanta’s Morehouse College – a 19 May ceremony watched closely in light of student protests in support of Palestine – a much smaller, visibly different graduation ceremony took place nearby.

The ceremony’s location was not publicized, a nod to past threats the Ku Klux Klan has directed at the school, as well as continuing hate mail and social media attacks.

The school’s director, Dr Laura Emiko Soltis, wore a keffiyeh while addressing parents, faculty and students from the stage. Flor M, a commencement speaker and alumna, quipped: “I know in my heart I will never have to demand a divestment from Freedom U.” The proceedings included a performance of son jarocho, the lively rhythm from Veracruz, Mexico; the 18 graduates and small audience of supporters sang and clapped along.

Graduates here were receiving recognition from Freedom University – the nation’s only program providing free college-level and college prep classes for undocumented students, with studies grounded in a human rights framework. It was the “underground” school’s 10th graduating class since relocating to Atlanta from Athens, Georgia, in 2014, a deliberate move to tap into the city’s civil rights legacy.

In that time, more than half of its 300 or so graduates have gone on to college with full scholarships, and many have participated in advocacy work, particularly involving access to higher education for undocumented students in Georgia – one of the most prohibitive states in the country when it comes to tuition and admissions policies at public colleges and universities.”   …more here.

 

The Georgia Republican Senatorial Committee Inc.

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The Georgia Republican Senatorial Committee Inc.

Incorporated Sept. 5, 2013 by Republican Georgia state Senators Steve Gooch, David Shafer and Ronnie Chance. Current officers are Senators John Kennedy Flanders,  Larry Walker and Steve Gooch.

2013 Annual Registration  Steve Gooch CEO, COO and Secretary.

2014 Annual Registration – Steve Gooch CEO, COO and Secretary.

2015 Annual Registration – John Wilkinson  CEO, COO and Secretary.

2016 Annual Registration – John Wilkinson CEO, COO and Secretary.

2017 Annual Registration – John Wilkinson CEO, COO and Secretary. (Registration filed late (June 26) NOTICE OF INTENET TO DISSOLVE FILED BY SoS OFFICE).

2018 Annual Registration – Butch Miller CEO, Bill Cowsert CFO, John Wilkinson, Secretary.

2019 Annual Registration –  Butch Miller CFO John Wilkinson Secretary, Mike Dugan CEO. (Registration filed late (August 26). NOTICE OF INTENET TO DISSOLVE FILED BY SoS OFFICE).

2020 Annual Registration – Butch Miller CFO, Mike Dugan CEO, John Wilkinson, Secretary

2021 Annual Registration – Butch Miller CFO, John Wilkinson Secretary, Mike Dugan CEO

2022 Annual Registration – Butch Miller CFO, John Wilkinson Secretary, Mike Dugan CEO

2023 Annual Registration – John Kennedy Flanders CEO, Stephen Wade Gooch Secretary Stephen Wade Gooch CFO.

2024 Annual registration John Kennedy Flanders CFO, Lawrence Cohen Walker III CEO, Stephen Wade Gooch Secretary.

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All above information taken from the Georgia Secretary of State Office Corporations Division here

HB 1105 – “ The Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024” explained

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HB 1105 sponsored by Rep Jesse Petrea (R- Savannah) passed under the Gold Dome last month and was signed into law by Gov. Kemp on May 1, 2024.

While you read the abbreviated analysis of Rep Petrea’s leigislation below, please try to find the “anti-immigrant” and “anti-Latino” “hate” the corporate-funded illegal alien lobby is howling about. On the bottom, we supply a list of some of the organizations – with contact information – that feverishly lobbied in the state Capitol against this commonsense public safety bill.

This is a general explanation of the bill’s contents.

HB 1105 ensures that Georgia law enforcement officers cooperate with federal immigration authorities when illegal aliens are in custody. Puts penalties into existing laws against “sanctuary” policies. Requires that jails honor ICE detainers.

“The provisions of this Act shall be implemented in a manner consistent with federal laws  governing immigration and civil rights.”

  • Penalizes sheriffs (hello, Gwinnett Sheriff Keybo Taylor) who defy follow current state law on reporting to ICE when illegal aliens are in their jails. (Section 9)
  • Penalizes local government leaders who support sanctuary policies in violation of that prohibition. (Section 6)
  • Requires that jailers honor ICE detainers. (Section 8)
  • Requires jails to apply annually for Memorandums of Agreement with federal immigration authorities such as 287(g). (Section 5)
  • Withholds state funds or state administered federal funds from local governing bodies that violate this code and support sanctuary policies. (Section 5)
  • Requires jailers to post quarterly reports on their local website to include total number of inmates, LESC inquiries, ICE detainers, and number of responses from ICE beginning 12/31/24. (Section 10)
  • Requires the Department of Audits to review immigration compliance reports submitted by local governments and Sheriffs’ Departments. (Section 12)
  • Requires the Department of Corrections to post on its website, a quarterly report of aggregate data on the numbers of ICE detainers in our state prison system. (Section 7)
  • Requires that DNA shall be collected from convicted felons in the Georgia Department of Corrections that are subject to an immigration detainer notice. (Section 13)
  • Requires that law enforcement officers seek to verify immigration status for individuals arrested for certain misdemeanors and who cannot show ID indicating legal presence in the United States. (Section 3)
  • Implores the State Board of Pardons and Paroles to not release any illegal alien from confinement prior to the completion of their sentence unless they are assured that federal immigration authorities will deport such alien upon release. (Section 2)

The below is part of a March 6, 2024 press release from the anti-enforcement, non-profit groups listed. You can see the entire release at our pro-enforcement website, NewDustinInmanSociety.org.

From the far-left:

Diverse Group of Immigrant Rights Organizations Condemn HB 1105 As Dangerous and Discriminatory

STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Atlanta, GA — Immigrant rights organizations and their allies condemn Georgia House Bill 1105, which recently passed the House and endangers Georgia’s immigrant communities, promotes racial profiling, and undermines local law enforcement discretion…”

CONTACT:
James Woo, Advancing Justice-Atlanta, jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org

Daniela Rodriguez, Migrant Equity Southeast, Daniela@migrantequity.org 912-222-8229

Shelley Danzy, Project South, shelley@projectsouth.org 678-508-5293

Preye Cobham, Esq., Women Watch Afrika, womenwatchafrika@gmail.com 404-668-2241

Daniela Racines, Latino Community Fund, daniela@lcfgeorgia.org 470-519-0783

Ashley Coleman, Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies, ashley.coleman@weinspirit.org 678-451-8863

Lauren Frazier, Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, lfrazier@gbpi.org 404-434-5541

Sebastian Saavedra, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR), sebastian@glahr.org 770-457-5232

Nekessa Opoti, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, comms@baji.org 612-405-3359

Aimee Zangandoum, Inspiritus, aimee.zangandou@weinspirit.org 678-852-8523

Nazia Khanzada, Council on American-Islamic Relations Georgia, nkhanzada@cair.com 404-239-2086

Darlene Lynch, The Center for Victims of Torture and Business & Immigration for Georgia (BIG) Partnerships,, Dlynch@cvt.org 404-402-1764

Alba Villarreal, GALEO Impact Fund, avillarreal@galeoimpactfund.org 678-791-2305

Original release here.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp full remarks on immigration issues, border security after co-ed murder at UGA HB 1105

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Ga. Gov Brain Kemp in Athens, Feb. 2024

 

The below was transcribed by Rev.com from Gov. Kemp’s presentation to the Athens-Clarke County “Pancakes and Policy” event on  Feb 26, 2024.  Video here.

GA Gov Brian Kemp:

 

“…Michael and appreciate you taking a second tour of duty, um, as chamber president this year, and I certainly want to thank David as the rest of the team for having Marty and I this morning. Uh, I’m glad to be a member of the Athens Clark County Chamber of Commerce, appreciate what you guys are doing every day to plug for small businesses in this community and a lot of other great pieces of the fabric of the Athens, Georgia community.

Uh, like Michael said, our hearts are breaking this morning for the family of Laken Riley. I had the honor of speaking to her parents over the weekend and though they are bearing the pain that no parent should ever endure in having to plan for burying their child, they’re thankful for our prayers and our ongoing justice to see Lee- Laken’s killer brought to justice.

Marty and I will continue to keep their family, their friends and the university community in our thoughts and prayers. This community, all of Georgia, and the entire country have been rocked by this inexcusable and avoidable murder. Laken’s life should not have ended so soon and we need to demand justice for what happened to her. She deserves justice, her family deserves justice, and we need justice on a national level to prevent this type of thing from happening again.

Laken Riley

Laken’s death is a direct result of failed policies on the federal level and an unwillingness by this White House to secure the southern border. We need to demand better from this administration, and that’s something that I’ve been doing since I’ve taken office, along with other governors across the country. And we’ve renewed that call multiple times, including again this weekend when I sent a letter to the president demanding more information on the illegal immigrants in our country, where they are and if they’ve broken any of our laws. Because of the president’s failures, we don’t know all that we should, but we do know this, more than eight and a half million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since President Biden took office.

In November of last year alone, over 1700 pounds of Fentanyl were seized at the southern border. Nearly 16,000 pounds of meth. 169 people on the terror watch list were encountered at the southern border in fiscal year 2023, setting an all-time record. Those drugs, weapons and dangerous criminals that aren’t stopped at the border head to other states, just like ours. In fact, there was a 55% increase in cases involving Fentanyl seizures here in Georgia by the GBI between 2022 and 2023. And that doesn’t even include all the seizures by local law enforcement.

It is an understatement to say that this is a major crisis, and because of the White House’s failures, every state, as I’ve said repeatedly, is now a border state, and Laken Riley’s murder’s just the latest proof of that. Just yesterday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that her killer was in the country illegally, that he had been arrested in 2022 and was paroled and released back onto our streets. He was then arrested again last year in New York for trying to hurt a child, and other charges. That is a failure of our system on multiple levels and at multiple times, and it has res- resulted in a young woman’s death. That is inexcusable. And in the absence of any real effort by the Biden Administration to step up and address this crisis, as they continue to ignore the calls for meaningful policy change that governors like me have made for well over two years, I have committed further resources to help and secure the southern border and keeping our citizens safe.

Brian Kemp TV campaign ad, 2018.

We already have the longest continuous presence of state guardsmen stationed on the border of any state, going back to when I first took office. Earlier this month, following my fifth trip to the southern border, I announced that we would send more troops to Texas in building, to help in building a command center on the border of, with Mexico. And we’re already putting more and more resources into public safety, including to pay for state law enforcement to retain and attract talented men and women who will keep our streets safe.

I want to thank the General Assembly, I know, uh, a bunch of the local delegation is here this morning, for giving final passage to the Peace Officer Loan Repayment legislation we introduced last year. All of these measures and more are designed with the same goal, to keep Georgians like you safe, to keep Georgians’ neighborhoods safe, to keep our schools safe, and to keep our businesses safe, because everyone should feel secure in their local community. And as we further strengthen the places we call home, we will continue to build on great opportunities here in our state, and I know that’s what you all at the Chamber are doing every single day and we appreciate so much your partnership with us. Those efforts have brought 177 projects, over 20,300 new jobs and $13.4 billion in investment to just this region of Georgia since I first took office.

Attention pro-borders Georgians: Beware the Libertarians under the Gold Dome

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“Libertarians believe that if someone is peaceful, they should be welcome to immigrate to the United States.” From the Libertarian Party website page on immigration.

The topic in this space last week was a Gold Dome bill (SB 354) from state Senator Larry Walker (R-Perry) and this writer’s request that readers help us convince Gov. Kemp to veto that measure. There is more to say.

 Senator Walker has apparently been influenced by several Libertarian lobbying concerns – which means the same for the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Allowed a vote by Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Walker’s bill passed the Senate with zero “no” votes and only two in the House.

Sen.Larry Walker

The nutshell explanation of Walker’s “workforce development” legislation is that in a stated effort to make it easier to work in Georgia, some low-skilled jobs in the barbering/cosmetology industry will no longer require an occupational license. On its face, it seems like a reasonable goal – “deregulation” yada, yada. Except for the fact that the current system of issuing an occupational license in Georgia also entails a statute-created process by which applicants for that license are screened for immigration status both by the state and then by the feds.

“Undocumented workers” have a very difficult time getting an occupational license if the 2006 law (OCGA 50-36-1) is enforced. But, if the occupational license process goes away, so does the immigration check.

  • Fact: This affidavit is part of the occupational licensing process in Georgia

Heads up: Georgia’s vast, corporate-funded illegal alien lobby works tirelessly to create a future Democrat voter majority here by inviting and settling more illegal aliens while helping them gain employment. Anyone who thinks these fanatics won’t take advantage of Walker’s legislation if Kemp allows it to become law doesn’t know much about the corporate-funded illegal alien lobby. (Homework: Google “GALEO, HB1105”).

It’s true that Georgia also has a separate law (OCGA 36-60-6) that requires some private employers to use the no-cost E-Verify program that is designed to prevent illegal aliens from working here. But it only applies to employers with more than ten employees and is not in force at all in municipalities and counties that do not require a business license/occupational tax certificate.

Also last week, radio host Scott Ryfun was kind enough to have me on his “Straight Talk” show to make the same plea for his listeners to contact Gov Kemp about a veto. After my short segment, I listened to the rest of Scott’s show and was fascinated to hear various opinions from callers on both sides of whether SB 354 should become law. Ryfun does great radio.

I think I heard several callers say that U.S. citizens should not be inconvenienced because we have defacto open borders and a raging illegal immigration crisis. And that a requirement that applicants swear they are not illegal aliens in the occupational/professional licensing system is an excessive hardship. And that immigration is a federal responsibility, and we should leave enforcement to the feds.

Having watched the Republicans in Washington institute a “one-time” federal amnesty for illegal aliens in 1986 and the Democrat administration in power today discard the laws in place on immigration, I do not agree.

“A truly free market requires the free movement of people, not just products and ideas” – another policy statement from the Libertarian Party website.

SB 354 is not Senator Walker’s only “workforce development” bill. And with the input of the Libertarian lobbyists in Atlanta there will be more next year. How does allowing other states to decide who can obtain an occupational license in Georgia sound?  Get used to it. “Reciprocity where reasonable” on occupational and professional licenses is a stated goal from Walker. I suggest you ask your own state Senator about that one.

Gov. Kemp’s Capitol office phone number is 404-656-1776

Where we are: In a state with 500,000-ish illegal aliens, the Republicans we sent to Atlanta have passed legislation that dismantles existing state law designed to make employment difficult for illegal aliens in the name of “freedom,” “deregulation” and “workforce development.” It’s ever so Libertarian. And the corporate-funded illegal alien lobby is quietly grateful.

Governor Kemp’s Capitol office phone number is 404-656-1776. Please pick a side.

 

  • A version of the above column was originally published in the Coastal Georgia newspaper The Islander on April 15, 2024.