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GA Senate study committee recommends occupational licensing reciprocity – which eliminates existing immigration status check. Bill pending (SB 354) *Updated

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Republicans should watch Lt. Governor Burt Jones

  • Update: March 31, 2024: Despite my “heads up” warnings to various key Republican House members (including two written explanations to House Regulated Industries committee Chairman Alan Powell) SB 354 from Sen. Larry Walker passed the House on March 26 with a minor change. Only two Republicans voted “no” – congrats and many thanks to Rep Kimberly New and Rep Sharon Cooper for resisting the pressure from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Sen. Walker’s bill then breezed through the Senate again with an “agree” vote on the last day of the 2024 session. Note: That happened despite my early AM “…you have a second chance to stop a bad bill…” text exchange with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones before the legislative day began. All vote records here.
  • Update: January 30, 2024: SB 354 passed in the Georgia Senate the morning of January 29, while we were calling and emailing to stop it. Number of Republican members who voted against it: zero.

 

Georgia should “…move to universal recognition (reciprocity) of out-of-state licenses.” That is the recommendation of the Senate Study Committee on Occupational Licensing chaired by Senator Larry Walker (R- Perry) after finishing several months of hearing pleas from special interest lobbyists for a reduction in the time it takes to process new occupational licenses. The recommendation says “where reasonable.”

Sen. Larry Walker (R- Perry) lead sponsor of SB 354 & SR 85.

Walker’s study committee was created by the Walker-sponsored Senate Resolution 85 which passed in the Senate Chamber last session with only a single “no” vote. Interestingly, that vote against passage of the resolution came from Sen. Blake Tillery (R- Vidalia) who was also one of  the many Republican cosponsors of the measure.

Walker’s resolution described Georgia’s current occupational licensing requirements as “onerous” and “burdensome.” Including this one, Capitol insiders who have watched the growing power of the partnership between the business lobby and the refugee, illegal alien industry see the obvious input from Darlene Lynch (she/her), her fellow leftist associates at the “BIG Partnership” and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in Walker’s effort.

Readers can see the recommendation in the committee’s final report (item 9). We warned Senate legislators about exactly this after the Walker/Lynch resolution dropped last March. 

Backed by the dollar-first business lobby, the aforementioned Lynch has pushed for allowing foreigners to be certified law enforcement officers in Georgia and for dismantling the state’s system of verifying “lawful presence” of applicants for occupational and professional licenses for years under the Gold Dome.

  • Darlene Lynch – related reading from 2021: Study Committee on Innovative Ways to Maximize Global Talent (including foreign cops) excludes pro-American worker voices  

Senate Bill 354 dismantles existing law on verification of lawful presence for covered workers

Walker is also the sponsor of SB 354 which passed out of the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities committee on January 24th – a super-speedy two-days after first reading in the Senate chamber. Walker and his cosponsors are moving ahead with changing state law so that various workers related to cosmetology and barbers would no longer go through the occupational licensing process – which means they would no longer go through the verification of lawful presence procedure in OCGA 50-36-1. This bill should be viewed as a test case from Walker and the special interest lobby before moving on to electricians and carpenter trades etc.

Not many Georgians are going to notice a rushed-up, quiet change in state law that only applies to entry level workers who shampoo hair. But many of the millions of illegal aliens being waved through at our southern border will get wind of this new attitude and policy before the end of the 2024 legislative session. It’s a perfect example of “if you build it, they will come.”

One has only to imagine the condition of a “New Georgia” of only a few years in the future if we allow Democrats in California, New York and Illinois to decide who can go to work in Georgia.

Then-state Senator Burt Jones speaks at a Trump rally, 2020.

Lt. Governor Burt Jones and the “MAGA” crowd

Republicans watching to see which GOP candidates for the 2026 gubernatorial race are on the pro-enforcement side of the contest between Joe Biden and the constitution on the invasion at the southern border should keep an eye on Lt. Governor Burt Jones. Will he allow Walker & Co.’s SB 354 and anti-enforcement bills like it to see final passage in the Senate? Update, March 31, 2024: The answer is “yes.”

No matter who Jones supports in the presidential race, dismantling the verification of lawful presence system for any workers in Georgia would be a memorable campaign detail for primary opposition two years from now.

Nobody paying attention at the Capitol doesn’t understand that Gov. Kemp would run, not walk, to sign a bill like Walker’s occupational license reciprocity legislation.

 

 

#SB354, #BurtJones, #DarleneLynch, #LarryWalker

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illegal immigration: Georgia’s Registered Apprenticeship Program requires immediate reform

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“This writer will rely on more sophisticated minds to enlighten us on how taxpayer dollars used to train illegal aliens who are ineligible for employment and foreigners here temporarily somehow represents “a historic investment” in Georgia’s future workforce.”

 

What would you call a taxpayer-funded state program that covers the costs to “upskill” employees for employers who can depend on the Technical College System of Georgia for training – and can then pay the employer $50,000 upon completion of his employee’s instruction?

What would you call this initiative if there were no process in place to exclude either illegal alien employees or illegal alien employers from benefitting?

Governor Kemp and the GOP-ruled state legislature call it the ‘Registered Apprenticeship Program.’ It’s yet another “workforce development” scheme.

  • Related reading: “Despite state and federal laws, illegal aliens run businesses in Georgia and they hire illegal alien employees.”

“A Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) is a robust & comprehensive training model that helps employers transform and develop entry-level employees into high-skilled talent” explains the TCSG website.

The RAP is part of and funded by the High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI) program.

The HDCI is best explained by Gov. Brain Kemp: “During the 2022 legislative session, Governor Kemp and lawmakers partnered to pass SB 379, representing a historic investment in apprenticeships in Georgia through the HDCI Program. The HDCI Program awards up to $50,000 in funding to Georgia businesses to upskill workers through registered apprenticeships and increase skilled talent within Georgia’s high-demand industries,” went a November 2022, Kemp office media release.

RAP includes “the undocumented”

And then there’s this: “Undocumented immigrants can participate in the Registered Apprenticeship Program” says  Kimberly Burgess, Apprenticeship Coordinator at TCSG’s Coastal Pines Technical College in a response to our inquiry.

And H1B workers are participating in the RAP/HDCI program according to Danny Mitchell, HDCI program manager in TCSG’s Office of Workforce Development. For the uninitiated, “the H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers with specialized skills to work in the United States for a specific period of time” (boundless.com).

This writer will rely on more sophisticated minds to enlighten us on how taxpayer dollars used to train illegal aliens who are ineligible for employment and foreigners here temporarily somehow represents “a historic investment” in Georgia’s future workforce.

  • We are grateful to the staff at the Technical College System of Georgia for the professional and timely responses to our many open records requests and questions on this matter. No agency has been quicker to reply or easier to work with in our twenty years of fighting illegal immigration.

In 2022, when no exclusion for black market labor or illegal alien employers could be found in the then-pending SB 379, I emailed my concerns to lead sponsor Sen. Brian Strickland and various key legislators including Rep. Chuck Martin, the House sponsor. Martin is Chairman of the House Higher Education Committee where the measure was heard after it breezed through the Senate.

Strickland did not reply. After the measure passed out of his committee, Martin sent me an email: “taking a look at all aspects prior to Rules.” (Full House vote record here).

GA state Sen. Brian Strickland (R).

As prep for this column and now nearly two years later, I asked Strickland and Martin again to cite language in SB 379 or a verification system in the RAP that would address excluding illegal aliens as participants. In his reply Martin suggested that illegal aliens would somehow be disqualified because state apprentices must have registered with the U.S. Dept. of Labor Office of Apprenticeship. But the U.S. DOL Apprenticeship Program registration/agreement application does not even require a Social Security Number.

Ga state Rep Chuck Martin (R)

He also cited a January 2023 USDOL bulletin (SB 379 passed in March 2022) that clarifies the apprenticeship program is open to non-U.S. citizens and that RAP sponsors should ensure that “all individuals who are eligible to work in the U.S. are afforded an opportunity to participate and complete a RAP.” Martin said he relied on statements from Sen. Strickland.

Illegal aliens ‘not specifically addressed’ in bill 

In his response, Strickland was less inventive. “Illegal immigration was not specifically addressed in this bill but if any legislator believes that illegal aliens are taking the funds set forth in this program, then I am sure we will see a bill to address this” he wrote.

I also sent a request for comment to Gov. Kemp’s office: “…is there a provision in state law created by 2022’s SB 379 that prevents illegal alien employers and employees similar to the subjects of this press release by the U.S. Attorney in Georgia’s Southern District from accessing the tax-payer-funded apprenticeship program on any level?” After a “D.A., call us back…” voicemail from Kemp’s then-Executive Counsel, David Dove, I eventually received an answer from Garrison Douglas, Gov Kemp’s Press Secretary – in a Twitter/X message. It was a link to a code section (OCGA 50-36-1) that “should answer” my question. It doesn’t.

I have been working with the law Georgia’s governor cited back to me since I helped create it in 2006. As part of in that year’s SB 529, it went through the Senate Public Safety committee Kemp chaired as a state senator. I can recite much of the text. Responses to my open records requests from TCSG clearly show that it is not being used to verify the lawful presence of anybody involved in the HDCI/RAP program. The Kemp response is well worth a look.

I am confident that my own investigation of 2022’s SB 379 and the resulting taxpayer-funded “workforce development” scheme has gone far beyond any done by Kemp or the two-hundred eight state legislators who voted to create this “illegals are welcome in Georgia” gem.

Georgia’s HCDI/Registered Apprenticeship Program requires immediate reform. If you agree, please do not remain silent. Gov Kemp’s Capitol office phone line is 404-656-1776. We assume you know how to contact your state legislators.

  • A version of this column ran on the subscription news & opinion outlet James Magazine Online on January 24, 2024.

Martha Zoller should stop digging – but does allow that “anybody whose child or is killed because of a person who’s an illegal immigrant, that is a wrong thing to do”

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Republican radio show host Martha Zoller says illegal immigration has increased so much that Brian Kemp “had to change his tactics” and abandon his campaign promises on “criminal illegals” and ending sanctuary cities.
“Enforcing the law should not be partisan.”
The below is from the Martha Zoller radio show, Jan. 18, 2024. Transcript by Rev.com. My cost $12.00 and about 1.5 hours of my time.
Martha Zoller on air: In response to a text Martha read from a listener noting that Gov Brian Kemp has not honored his 2018 campaign promises on illegal immigration and asking if she ever has D.A. King on her show:
 Zoller quickly starts with “I know D.A. King very well… he is the only person I have blocked on Twitter…”
Transcript from recording, still on D.A. King

“…Uh, and I’ve done it because he is unreasonable in his points of view. Um, I’ve worked with him on many issues related to Dustin Inman Society. I helped him raise money. I’ve been involved with it. And because I believe that Governor Kemp… First of all, you can’t assume every Hispanic person you see is an illegal immigrant. And that if they don’t speak English well, that they’re illegal. Okay, that’s- that’s unfair, that’s prejudiced. It’s not racist, it’s prejudiced, you’re, you have a prejudice against this person, okay. But what I will say is, um, we have pretty tough laws as it relates to illegal immigration and- and the governor has helped with the National Guard, he’s done all kinds of things with Governor Greg Abbott as far as the border crisis is concerned. Yes, you’re right, he hasn’t been “rounding up illegal immigrants” like he said in his primary ad. And I didn’t like that ad.

Screenshot, Brian Kemp 2018 TV campaign ad.

I was one of those people that, um, was seeing… I got to see those ads early and I picked the Jake one. I loved it. Where he was sitting on the porch by one of Jake Dateman’s daughter, I loved that. I thought it had a great sense of humor. And then the other one I liked was him taking a chainsaw to regulation. I didn’t like the- the pickup truck one, but that’s the one they went through. And I just believe the situation of, if you can’t look at the situation on the border and see that the s- that the game has changed, and that we’re gonna need different tactics to deal with it, then I can’t really talk to you about it. But, um, we’re gonna take a break and when we come back we’ll take you up to the top of the hour. I will look up Kayla Hamilton and, uh, try to be a little more knowledgeable about that. We’ll be back.*

  • Related: Dear Davos elites: Please tell your witch doctor to cast a spell GA. Gov. Brian Kemp while he is there?

Martha Zoller on air:

… first. Now, I looked up the Kayla Hamilton case. This happened in July of 2022. Uh, she was, um, autistic woman who was killed by an MS-13 gang member, um, and, um, you know, there, you know, is… She sent messages to President Biden, and look, anybody… Dustin Inman, anybody whose child or is killed because of a person who’s an illegal immigrant, that is a wrong thing to do. That is the, the wrong thing. Um, that is somebody that shouldn’t be in this country, so that person should still be safe and sound. So we should work hard against that, and that should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

We have got to secure the border, number one. You can join us on the phones at 770-535-2911, and I believe that we can do it. You know, I believe that we can deal with all of these things, and we can… we showed that we can do it during the Trump administration and, to some degree, during the, the Obama administration. The Obama… Obama was very tough on immigration. He deported more people every year. He, um… He didn’t do all this, “Come one, come all,” kind of stuff. He was very interesting because in front of his crowds, he would say one thing, but how he implemented the law was very different. And I’m sure that had to do, to some degree, with the fact that he had people that were legal immigrants in his life, and when you talk to people who were legal immigrants, who came here legally, they are very hard-line as it comes to the border situation.

But then you had Donald Trump come in, and he did the remain in Mexico. And he did a number of things, and he got the number of children, especially, in custody down to less than 500. And the sad thing about that was that those were people that they couldn’t find their families or their families didn’t want them. That’s really hard to imagine. Um, now we’re up to s- … of children in custody, and the reason why just whole separating kids from their parents, the reason why children… by and large, is they don’t have documentation they belong to that adult, and there is some rel- … reason to believe there might be something going on that’s… that could be bad for the child, either sex trafficking, labor trafficking, sut- …

We don’t just separate children from their parents, and we’ve got to stop making this a partisan issue because Republicans go in office, and we… we’re, we’re hard-line about it. Democrats come in, and we soften up. And then we go back and forth and back an- … Enforcing the law should not be partisan. Enforcing the law should be what we all do and that… what we all support, or we do what Governor Deal did when he was a congressman. You enforce the law, or you… if you don’t think the law fits anymore, then you change law. And that’s what you do. So I appreciate the [inaudible 00:03:12] from people, um, that related to this. You’ve got to really be… got to get on the same page as far as illegal immigration goes.

Um… in Cleveland said, “I’m so sick of democrats referring to our country as democracy. Thomas Jefferson had to say about democracies, ‘A democracy is nothing more than [inaudible 00:03:32] over 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 40.’ They are a constitutional republic.” That’s Don from Cl- Cleveland. We… representative republic. We are a consti-

 

A Chris Carr page

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Chris Carr, Attorney General for Georgia. Photo: Law.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We take an educated “Never Chris Carr” view.

 

GEORGIA POLITICAL HISTORY SHOULD BE REMEMBERED

Updates on this page began on August 14, 2024 and will continue while I round up the earlier posts from three websites starting in 2007.

  • 2023 – Nine Republican states have filed in federal court to shut down the illegal DACA program – GA not participating (Here).

 

  • 2023 – Twenty GOP states are challenging Biden’s illegal border parole hustle in a Texas federal court – GA is not one of them (Here).

 

  • 2023 – 25 GOP-Led States Ask SCOTUS to Restore Prohibition on Encouraging Illegal Immigration – GA Stands Back, Again (Here) Update: Note SCOTUS reversed the lower court decision. The suit was successful.

 

  • 2024 – 15 states sue to block Biden’s effort to make illegal aliens with the illegal DACA status get ObamaCare – GA absent from the list. (Here).

 

  • 2013 – Pro-enforcement immigration expert blacklisted by U.S. Senator’s Cheif of Staff (Here)

 

  • 2016 –  “Chris Carr was appointed by Governor Deal in 2013 to as Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the state agency charged with helping to create jobs and generate investment in Georgia” (ACCG) “I am also uncomfortable with the concept that any foreign consul or Georgia Commissioner of Economic Development would be given authority to appoint an official to be the arbiter of the validity of a foreign driver’s license, as SB 320 seems to read.” Then Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway opposing SB 320 in a Feb. 2016 letter to the GA Senate Public Safety committee.

 

  • SB 320 was one of the most outrageous bills of the 2016 sessio0n under the Gold Dome. It was the result of Commissioner Chris Carr’s obedience to the special business interests led by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. I urge readers to see the SB 320 file HERE. The measure died a well deserved death after we sounded the alarm and got law enforcement officials involved, including retired Border Patrol Agents – but not before passing out of the Senate Public Safety Committee, Then Senator Tyler Harper, Chairman.

 

This page is a project in progress.

 

GA senator explains penalty for talking back to Gov. Brian Kemp for his betrayal on illegal immigration to Cobb GOP

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State Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, and Cobb GOP Chair Salleigh Grubbs discussed a previous Cobb GOP resolution which censured Gov. Brian Kemp at the GOP’s monthly breakfast on Saturday at Kore Steakhouse in Marietta. Jon Gillooly

The below is taken from Newsbreak.com, Nov. 7, 2023

State Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, came to the Cobb County Republican Party’s monthly breakfast meeting to deliver a speech on the national debt and how the U.S. should act on the world stage.

But when he opened it up for questions, the animated audience had other topics on their minds.

One questioner asked why Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who’s prosecuting a case against former President Donald Trump, is still in power.

“We have a Republican governor, a Republican legislature, and they’re not doing anything to help Trump,” the questioner said, noting the exception was state Sen. Colton Moore who advocated impeaching Willis.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with (Gov.) Brian Kemp,” the questioner continued. “Frankly I don’t know what’s wrong. He says he’s a Christian. When is he going to act like a Christian?”

Cobb GOP Chair Salleigh Grubbs told Setzler that they feel abandoned in Cobb County.

Ga.Gov. Brain Kemp at Davos, 2023.

“We feel abandoned because when it came to the home rule provision with the attorney general’s office, Cobb County’s on its own,” Grubbs said. “The governor is not getting involved. There’s so many things that we feel like we’re on an island in Cobb County, and we run up the flag, and it’s the distress signal, and trust me Ed, I love you. You’re one of my favorite people, not only as a legislator, but as a friend, but we feel like we’re alone, and we feel like there’s nobody fighting for us.”

A similar theme came from audience member John McLean, who was there with his wife, Kathy. McLean said he lost count of how many times he’s come to such events and been told Republicans must come together.

“But while I’m being told we got to come together, I see the Republican caucus remove somebody they disagree with — in secret,” McClean said. “ … The other thing is we’ve got the governor of the state of Georgia that obviously can’t accept any criticism, and so he’s kicked the (state) GOP to the curb. We’ve got a supposed Republican secretary of state that’s AWOL and won’t commit to upgrading the voting machines. And whether we want to agree that there’s enough fraud in the election — there’s fraud — whether there was enough fraud in the election to overturn the election, there’s a certain percentage of Republicans and people in this room, I’m assuming like me, that are suspect of those voting machines he won’t upgrade.”

McLean said he wants to stay on the team and be committed, but he said he doesn’t see Georgia’s Republican leadership doing the same.

“We’ve got home rule being challenged in Cobb County and our attorney general is AWOL. He’s filed an amicus brief, but that’s not enough. We’ve got the Board of Education, the county Board of Education that’s decided not to defend their map. I just don’t get it, and I don’t see Republicans doing enough,” he said.

Setzler asked the audience if he had permission to tell the truth. Yes, the crowd answered. He then referenced the infamous September 2021 resolution in which the Cobb GOP censured Kemp. Ever since that censure took place, neither Kemp nor other statewide elected officials such as Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr have appeared at a Cobb GOP breakfast. (They do attend the meetings of Cobb County Republican Women’s Club, which is a separate organization run by club president Nancy Couch.)

  • Note from D.A.: I was happy to write the Cobb resolution in question and praise the Cobb GOP members who passed it.

“When a party organization, you may think you’re justified, when a party organization formally and in writing censures a sitting governor from their own party in a rebuke, I can guarantee you what that means. Your party organization’s voice vanishes,” Seltzer told the crowd. “That was, in my opinion, one of the most strategically ill-informed decisions I’ve ever seen since I’ve been associated with the Cobb County Republican Party. And (you) might have even been right. That doesn’t even mean whether you’re right or wrong on the issue. Set that aside. But when parties rebuke in writing and resolution their own sitting governor — you have every right to do that, but when you feel like your voice isn’t there anymore, you have only yourself to blame.”

Setzler said on top of that, it makes it difficult for him, state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-east Cobb, and others to advocate for Cobb County when the county party makes such a move.

Grubbs replied that there is “a culture of distrust” that exists in Georgia, which she said is bigger than the governor or legislature. As a member of the Georgia Republican Party’s executive committee, Grubbs said there is infighting on that board.

“Because it’s like, ‘Well you’re on (Georgia GOP head Josh McKoon’s) side. Or you’re a mole or you’re this or you’re that.’ And what that tells me is that an effective leader addresses the issue, and says, ‘It was a censure. I understand. I heard you. Let me tell you why that’s a problem, and let’s move past it.’ But here we are almost three years later, and we’re still having that conversation. And if you’re in a marriage … and you have a problem in your marriage, ‘Well, three years ago, you did not load the dish washer properly, and I’ve told you how to do it, and so now I’m divorcing you.’ You know, it’s insane, it’s immature, and it’s childish to not deal with issues and move on past it for the sake of America. This is not just Georgia we’re talking about. It’s the sake of America,” she said to applause.

Setzler responded by observing how they were certainly addressing the issue out in the open.

“It’s being aired out. We’re airing it out today. We all have roles. I think Salleigh’s role is extremely important, prominent. The work you put in is just stunning to me, I so, so appreciate that. I mean that not to be trite,” Setzler said.

However, he continued, “The Cobb County Republican Party as an organization is going to need to address that with our governor and his folks. When you have both collectively addressed that to all sides’ adequate satisfaction it will then be addressed.”

Read the entire write-up here.

What’s better than instate tuition for illegal aliens? Georgia’s Dual Enrollment program (repost)

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–> UPDATE, July 29, 2024: At least one public university apparently excludes illegal aliens from Dual Enrollment – HOORAY! Info here.

_____________________________________________________

High school students attend Georgia’s public colleges while paying no tuition – residency, citizenship verification not required.

  • Pro-enforcement Georgians of all descriptions should be asking Gov. Kemp and lawmakers why we are paying for college classes for illegal aliens in an effort to “expand the workforce” when “the undocumented” are not generally eligible to be employed.

“While conservative Republicans wage an annual battle under the Gold Dome to stop other Republicans from changing state law so as to award in-state college tuition to Georgia’s “undocumented” foreign high school grads, it looks like we are paying for zero-cost college tuition as well as fees and books for the illegal aliens who haven’t yet graduated our tax-funded high schools.” So went part of a letter to the editor published in the Brunswick News last week from retired Border Patrol agent and INS agent, Robert Trent.

Trent, a St. Mary’s resident and active member of the Camden County Republican Party, was writing about Georgia’s Dual Enrollment program which, for taxpayers who are funding the program but who may not be aware, is best described by the Georgia Student Finance Commission: “Georgia’s Dual Enrollment Program provides students enrolled at an eligible public or private high school or home study program in Georgia the opportunity to earn high school and college credit at a participating eligible postsecondary institution in Georgia.”

Now capped at thirty semester hours, prior to changes pushed by Kemp in 2020 designed to lower costs, some students were reportedly taking 60 to 70 hours — which was making the program financially unsustainable.

About 45,000 Georgia students participated in dual enrollment last year according to reliable news reports.

  • Related reading: Dual Enrollment as explained by the Georgia Dept. of Education 

This writer has been asking a variety of politicos since 2020 to point to a provision in the law or Georgia Student Finance Commission eligibility policy governing the DE program that excludes illegal aliens. A result was that the then-pending DE House bill saw a surprise, unscheduled vote.

Earlier this month I sent an open records request to the Georgia Student Finance Commission asking for a copy of any record or document that illustrated an exclusion for illegal aliens in the DE program or a verification system to check immigration status. I received a reply essentially telling me to see the laws and eligibility guidelines for myself.

Lynn Riley, President, Georgia Student Finance Commission

I also sent a request for comment for this column to the media department at GSFC. There was no response.

We direct readers to the GSFC Dual Enrollment FAQ page, #7: “Is there a residency requirement to participate in Dual Enrollment? A: “There is no residence or citizenship requirement to participate in the Dual Enrollment program.” An online GSFC tutorial is careful to explain that a Social Security Number is not required for DE participation.

The DE program was the object of legislation in 2020 (HB 444) when it was renamed and in 2023 with SB 86 and a sixteen-member Joint Study Committee created in SR 175 – which was sponsored by twenty-two of the thirty-three Senate Republicans. At the outset of the latter endeavor, Co-Chair Rep. Matt Dubnik (R-Gainesville) explained that “We’re not trying to fix something that’s broken, We’re simply trying to take a good program and make it even better.” Georgia taxpayers may disagree when educated on the DE program. Sen. Matt Brass (R-Newnan) was lead sponsor of the above Dual Enrollment Senate legislation in 2023.

Sen. Matt Brass
Rep.Matt Dubnik

None of this legislation dealt with the fact that according to federal estimates only six states host more illegal aliens than Georgia. Or that the far-left Georgia Budget and Policy Institute says about 3000 illegals graduate from Georgia high schools each year (Update, June 1, 2024 – The Guardian says it’s 4000) . Using that number, it is logical to assume that the combined number of the now DE eligible 11th and 12 grade students in the U.S. illegally is around 6000 – 8000 in any one school year. Ensuring that they are not draining the state education budget by benefitting from the tax-funded, discretionary DE free-college program seems like a no-brainer.

For more information on the current state of the Dual Enrollment program see the Oct. 13, 2023 James Magazine Online report.

Pro-enforcement Georgians of all descriptions should be asking Gov. Kemp and lawmakers why we are apparently paying for college classes for illegal aliens in an effort to “expand the workforce” when the “undocumented” are not generally eligible to be employed.

Ga Gov. Brian Kemp

Democrat mayors and governors around the nation are openly wailing against the cost of caring for the literal millions of illegals being waived into the remains of the republic and dispersed into the nation’s interior by the Biden administration. Georgia is rewarding them. Including Kemp, Republican leaders in the Peach State need to explain the apparent absence of tools to insure only work-eligible high school students can access the Dual Enrollment benefits. It’s liable to be “an issue” in the 2024 elections.

A version of this essay ran on the subscription website James Magazine Online on Dec. 29, 2023, in the Glynn County (GA) The Islander newspaper on January 8, 2024 and in the (Carroll Co. GA) Star News in the Sept 14, 2024 edition.

D.A. King is president of the Dustin Inman Society and proprietor of ImmigrationPolitcsGA.com

X: @DAKDIS

Employers can reap up to $50k for sending illegal aliens and temporary visa holders through Georgia’s ‘Registered Apprenticeship Program’ #SB379

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  • The ‘RAP” is part of the “High Demand Career Initiative” (HDCI) program.
  • We find nothing that would stop illegal alien employers like this from sending illegal alien employees through the taxpayer-funded state apprenticeship program and then collecting up to $50k.

Note: The below is a partial and in progress story about legislation (SB 379) passed in 2022 under the GOP-ruled Gold Dome and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp. There is much more to say, but not today. Still investigating.

Update, Dec. 2, 2023: “During the 2022 legislative session, Governor Kemp and lawmakers partnered to pass SB 379, representing a historic investment in apprenticeships in Georgia through the HDCI Program. The HDCI Program awards up to $50,000 in funding to Georgia businesses to upskill workers through registered apprenticeships and increase skilled talent within Georgia’s high-demand industries.”  Here.

“Undocumented immigrants can participate in the Registered Apprenticeship Program”  –  that was part of the reply received today that originated from Kimberly Burgess, M.S. Apprenticeship Coordinator at  Coastal Pines Technical College, Golden Isles Campus.

A very nice man at TCSG, Danny Mitchell, informed me today that H1B workers can and do participate in the ‘RAP” which is part of the “High Demand Career Initiative” (HDCI) program.

It’s illegal to hire “undocumented immigrants.” Federal and state law requires presenting documents in the hiring process. Use of fake or stolen SSN ID is a federal and a state felony. H1B workers, (here lawfully) are in the U.S. on temporary visas that can be renewed but eventually, most temp workers leave. It is not at all clear how sending illegal aliens or foreign, temporary workers through this taxpayer-funded apprenticeship program helps “Georgia’s future workforce” or “hardworking Georgians.”

Related: What Is the H-1B visa?

“The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers with specialized skills to work in the United States for a specific period of time. Typically, the roles require a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Occupations that qualify for the H-1B visa are typically in fields such as technology, finance, engineering, architecture, or more.” (boundless.com)

Curious? Me too (see here for an idea of the origins of the legislation that created this program).

From the TCSG website: About Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Georgia:

“A  Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) is an employer-led workforce development model and strategy designed to provide employers with additional support to train skilled workers and meet growing workforce needs. RAPs serve as valuable investments into local workforce as they combine real work experience with classroom learning all while providing a paid job to apprentices. Furthermore, registered apprentices not only benefit from acquiring and mastering high-demand skills, but also tend to achieve higher wages, and more upward mobility within their employer and industry. Currently, Georgia has more than 10,000 active apprentices in Registered Apprenticeship Programs” (here).

  • Note: Sadly, illegal aliens are also business owners and operators in Georgia. I asked this question of a House committee chairman in 2022: “What is there in the law to stop an illegal alien employer from sending an illegal alien employee through the apprenticeship program and collecting the taxpayer funded payment, up to $50K?” I may post that exchange soon.

More from Georgia.gov:

Ga Gov. Brian Kemp

“Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) recently announced a round of $1 million in funding to create 120 new apprenticeships across the state. These apprenticeships will train students for careers in-demand industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and construction, and provide employers with opportunities to fill their workforce needs.

This step builds upon new workforce-focused initiatives Governor Kemp signed into law earlier this year to take Georgia’s education and career training initiatives to the next level. Investment numbers show that companies choose Georgia time and again for new businesses and expanded operations, and they do that because they know Georgia has a talented workforce ready to meet their needs.

To push Georgia’s workforce training into high gear, state legislators created the High Demand Career Initiatives (HDCI) Program, which awards up to $50,000 in funding to Georgia businesses to train students and upskill workers through registered apprenticeships.”

All this was created by the passage of SB 379 in 2022. At the time, we pushed for pro-enforcement language that would have excluded blackmarket labor. We were not successful. But, we never considered that the legislature would pass a bill to pay an employer to send a temporary visa holder to an apprenticeship program in the name of expanding Georgia’s future workforce. Live and learn.

SB 379 passed in the Senate with only four “NO” votes. All Democrats. It passed in the House with only one “NO” vote, from then-Rep Phillip Singleton – a Republican.

Sen Brian Strickland, 2022’s SB 379 sponsor

I don’t have time to write all this up today or this week. I am hopeful that local newspapers will regard this as “news.” In most places, that is a long shot hope.

  • Update, Nov. 27, 2023: I sent this to the ‘news tips” at Atlanta TV stations (11 Alive, WSB, Fox 5, CBS 46) several days ago. If any of them did a story, I have not seen it on Twitter/X (I don’t watch TV news of any description). I also sent to the liberal AJC.

I am pasting the notes I collected this morning below.  I say again: I have 2022 emails on this from a House Committee chairman that I may share at a later date.

____

—>  UPDATE: Nov. 26 –

About the High Demand Career Initiatives (HDCI) Program

See guidelines, employer awards  and application. Here.

2023 Annual Report

___

Notes:

I spoke to Danny Mitchell (TCS) HDCI Program Manager) Nov 20, 11:20 AM

 H1B employees and refugee employees can  participate (and are). Apprentices need not be TCSG students. TCSG is merely admin on funding. When asked about illegals, told me I “would need to talk to the lawyers…”

Rep Chuck Martin, Chairman, House Higher Education Committee & the Workforce Development subcommittee. Martin sponsored (2022) SB 379 in the House and passed it out of his Higher Ed. committee.

___

 APPRENTICESHIP    SB 379 (2022)

Want to become a registered apprenticeship partner?

Apprenticeships Open Doors for Georgia’s Future Workforce

Coastal Pines Technical College

“Becoming a registered apprenticeship partner with Coastal Pines Technical College is an easy 3-step process. The registered apprenticeship program is designed to help businesses fill workforce needs by establishing apprenticeship employment pathways. The companies listed below have established a partnership with Coastal Pines Technical College to meet the demands of the local workforce within their business environment.” Here.

______

SB 379 (2022)

“…Upon successful completion of the requirements of a contract under this article, the

61  board shall provide a contract completion award to the employer sponsor. The contract

62  completion award amount shall be determined based on the number of hours of education

63  and training required for the successful completion of the apprenticeship under such

64  apprenticeship program but shall not exceed $10,000.00 per apprentice.

65  (e) Each employer sponsor shall only be eligible to enter into contracts under this article

66  for up to five apprentices per year.

67  (f) An apprenticeship sponsor may assist with the application for and completion of an

68  apprenticeship contract authorized by this article.

‘Apprentice’ means a person who is at least 15 years of age, except where a higher minimum age is required by law, who is employed in an eligible apprenticeable occupation, and is registered in Georgia with the United States Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.

(2) ‘Apprenticeable occupation’ means an occupation approved for apprenticeship by the United States Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.

Illegal alien business owner operator can get tax dollars to send an illegal alien employee through the GA apprentice program. (?)

__________

The constant refrain from the people who run the state government in Georgia is that employers need more workers to make more profit. If I understand this, the GOP-ruled legislature passed a bill which was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp to use tax dollars to pay employers to send existing staff to this apprenticeship program so they can increase the employers’s profits. 

TCSG

“In 2022, the High Demand Career Initiatives (HDCI) Program, authorized by Georgia Senate Bill 379, was signed into law by Governor Brian P. Kemp. As Georgia’s first-ever state-funded apprenticeship initiative, the HDCI Program represents a historic investment by the State of Georgia in registered apprenticeships. The HDCI Program provides funding to Georgia employers to incentivize the creation and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs throughout the state. This program aimed to both upskill Georgians and increase skilled talent within Georgia’s high-demand industries.”

 About Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Georgia

A Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) is an employer-led workforce development model and strategy designed to provide employers with additional support to train skilled workers and meet growing workforce needs. RAPs serve as valuable investments into local workforce as they combine real work experience with classroom learning all while providing a paid job to apprentices. Furthermore, registered apprentices not only benefit from acquiring and mastering high-demand skills, but also tend to achieve higher wages, and more upward mobility within their employer and industry. Currently, Georgia has more than 10,000 active apprentices in Registered Apprenticeship Programs.

PRESS RELEASE

 TCSG Announces Availability of $1 Million in Funding To Support Apprenticeships

ATLANTA, GA–

https://www.tcsg.edu/hdci/#:~:text=As%20Georgia’s%20first-ever%20state-funded%20apprenticeship%20initiative%2C%20the%20HDCI,expansion%20of%20registered%20apprenticeship%20programs%20throughout%20the%20state.

The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), announces the availability of $1 Million in High Demand Career Initiatives (HDCI) Program funds to support the development and expansion of registered apprenticeships in Georgia’s high-demand industries. The program is focused on supporting Registered Apprenticeship expansion in the areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace, Agribusiness, Automotive, Construction, E-Mobility, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Supply Chain, Film and Entertainment, Public Services, and Information Technology.

“Apprenticeships are not just an investment in a company’s workforce, they’re an investment in the future of Georgia’s workforce,” said TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier. “They offer a mechanism for employers to develop their own talent pipeline and offer attractive career pathways to new and existing employees.”

Administered by TCSG, the HDCI Program provides up to $10,000 in funding awards to incentivize employers to upskill Georgians through registered apprenticeships and increase skilled talent within Georgia’s high-demand industries.

William ‘Danny’ Mitchell

(TCSG) HDCI Program Manager

Office of Workforce Development

O: 404.679.5474 | C: 470.487.2591 | wmitchell@ tcsg.edu

_______

“A Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) is a robust & comprehensive training model that helps employers transform and develop entry-level employees into high-skilled talent. RAPs serve as a strategy for building talent pipelines and retaining skilled employees.

A Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) is a work-based learning system that fulfills workforce needs by preparing individuals for skilled trades through paid On-the-Job Learning (OJL) with Related Technical Instruction (RTI).

Most RAPs are completed in 1-4 years, with actual timelines determined by United States Department of Labor (USDOL) guidelines. The Apprentice will participate in Related Technical Instruction (RTI) – which may include online coursework – as well as work alongside a skilled tradesperson for the Employer partner (OJL) on their way to earning a degree, certification, and/or license, in addition to receiving a nationally recognized USDOL credential in their desired skilled trade.” Here from TCSG.

______

“Good morning….,

Thank you so much for reaching out to me regarding the Registered Apprenticeship Program offered at Coastal Pines Technical College. The apprenticeship program is an on-the-job training program that is offered to current students at Coastal Pines. You must be enrolled in an academic program at the college to participate.”

There are two pathways to participation in the program:

Pathway 1 – Current Coastal Pines Student Placement

  • This pathway allows current students to be placed in an apprenticeship employment position with one of 31 apprenticeship partners.

If you are not enrolled at the college, you would need to apply for admissions and be accepted to the college.

  • Link to the Admissions Application:https://coastalpines.edu/admissions/apply-now
  • It is FREE Application Month for the month of November. You can apply for free using the codeMATCH23
  • You would work with the Office of Admissions to get admitted and then an academic advisor would work with you to select classes.

Pathway 2 – Apprenticeship Partner Employees Can Enroll in Classes

  • If you are an employee at a participatingApprenticeship Partner and you need to gain an additional skill or trade, the company can choose to send you to the college to enroll in an academic program that aligns with the job you have at the company.

Undocumented immigrants can participate in the Registered Apprenticeship Program. They will need to have the ability to pay out of pocket for tuition/fees/books associated with their academic program. The rate of tuition and fees are more for foreign students (non-us citizens).

 If you have any questions, please let me know.

Take Care,

Kimberly

Kimberly Burgess, M.S.

Coastal Pines Technical College

Golden Isles Campus

Apprenticeship Coordinator

 

_____

Here on a page liked to the U.S. DOL site

NPS PROGRAM REGISTRATION AND ADHERENCE TO FEDERAL, STATE,
AND LOCAL LAW REQUIREMENTS (page 6)
The Office of Apprenticeship’s registration of an apprenticeship program on a nationwide
basis under the National Program Standards of Apprenticeship (and the registration of
individual apprentices under the same program) does not exempt the program sponsor,
7
and/or any employer(s) participating in the program, and/or the individual apprentices
registered under the program from abiding by any applicable Federal, State, and local
laws or regulations relevant to the occupation covered by the program, including those
pertaining to occupational licensing requirements and minimum wage and hour.

Here.

_____

GA Gov. Brian Kemp

Governor Kemp and TCSG Announce Historic Apprenticeship Investment 

ATLANTA, GA–Governor Brian P. Kemp and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) today announced $1 million in awards for the inaugural Registered Apprenticeships program as part of the High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI). These investments will create 120 new apprenticeships throughout the state across multiple industries in need of workers following generational investment and job creation in the Peach State, including healthcare, manufacturing, and construction.

“Providing opportunity for hardworking Georgians to thrive has always been and will remain a top priority for my administration,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “Apprenticeships open doors both for our students to gain quality, on-the-job experience and for employers to fill their workforce needs. This innovative approach will ensure the next generation has the skills they need to succeed in the best state to live, work, and raise a family.”

Here.

_____

TRIDENT Refit Facility, Kings Bay Apprenticeship Program

Overview

HERE.

____-

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Illegal immigration & Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ ‘Red Tape Roll Back’ Initiative

By

 

 

UPDATE, May 6, 2024: As we feared, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones put SB 354 on the Senate floor after being educated from here on the fact that it dismantled the existing process that requires the verification of lawful presence for applicants for occupational licenses. According to Gov. Kemp’s website, SB 354 was a a “high priority” for Lt. Gov. Jones. Kemp signed SB 354 into law on May 2. Readers can catch up on SB 354 here.

 

 

“…dismantling existing law to reduce the level of illegality of illegal employment would be a very memorable, Democrat-like sort of maneuver.”

The “Red Tape Roll Back” initiative announced by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) last week is, among other, similar goals, aimed at shrinking state government to make it easier to access business and occupational licenses. This is not a new idea.

GA. Lt. Gov. Burt jones

“A regulatory environment promoting competition, while encouraging the startup and expansion of new businesses, and taking the heavy hand of government out of the equation is a priority. The reforms the Senate will lead on this year will reduce costs and paperwork while minimizing uncertainty for those who want to start or grow a business in Georgia” says Jones. Again, this is not a new agenda.

The Lt. Governor and Senate members would do well to remember that many of what special interest lobbyists refer to as “outdated barriers to employment and occupational licensing” were put in place to fight the organized crime of illegal immigration. And that despite the silence on illegal immigration in Georgia from the governor’s office, the fact is that only six states suffer more “undocumented workers” than we do.

We hope the Lt. Governor hasn’t picked up the agenda pushed by organizers of the 2021 House Study Committee on ‘Innovative Ways to Maximize Global Talent.’ If so, in a state where illegal immigration-related laws are already largely treated as inconvenient “barriers” to profit, this should not be regarded as a wise, pro-enforcement move. As this writer wrote here at the time (“House committee on ‘barriers’ skips transparency, continues one-sided agenda”) “taking the heavy hand of government out of the equation” in the 2021 push was presented as “how reducing the numbers of occupations that require a license, eliminating “antiquated restrictions” and reducing training periods … to match regulations in other states…”

The hoped-for result? A less thorough licensing process – and more profit.

With an eye on lobbyist Darlene C. Lynch at the Business and Immigration for Georgia (BIG) Partnership, it is distressing to see that many of the same anti-enforcement organizers of the extremist 2021 effort are involved in shaping the agenda for the 2024 version of “modernizing state occupational licensing requirements” and “strengthening Georgia small businesses.” As she did in the 2021 House study committee, Lynch seemed to play a prominent role in the Secretary of State’s GA WORKS Licensing Commission and the Senate Study Committee on Occupational Licensing. Gold Dome experience says there is little doubt it is also true in the Lt. Governor’s office.

Darlene C. Lynch

Lynch’s 2021 recommendations included removing the requirement that law enforcement officers be U.S. citizens. She also patiently explained that on “overhauling licensing schemes” …there’s a couple of different ways states are doing it. One is to remove unnecessary immigration related requirements that don’t really matter for that particular profession.” Legislators would do well to familiarize themselves with all of the James Online 2021 House Study Committee reports to fully grasp what may be coming.

The 2023 Senate Study Committee is chaired by Sen. Larry Walker (R- Perry) who did not allow public comment after testimony from a long list of pre-arranged business interest witnesses in the summer meetings. Indeed, this writers written request to provide some expert, pro-enforcement balance went unanswered (committee video archive).

Sen. Larry Walker

Many thanks to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for the public comment period he provided and for the opportunity afforded me to urge that his commission recommend that regs now in place dealing with verification of ‘lawful presence’ for business license applicants be regarded as off limits to “modernizing” the business and professional license system.

While there is no good time to reduce vigilance on making Georgia as unattractive to illegal immigration as possible, even a seemingly minor reduction or elimination of related existing laws would result in making “dollar-first Georgia” even more attractive to the millions of potential future Democrat voter, illegal aliens the Biden administration has moved into the United States since 2021.

As a reluctant denizen of the Gold Dome for most of two decades, it is disturbingly obvious that not many legislators have even a basic level of knowledge of these hard-fought statutes. I offer just one example of recommended reading for all concerned: OCGA 50-36-1, Verification of Lawful presence.

We note that if it is part of the plan, dismantling existing law to reduce the level of illegality of illegal employment would be a very memorable, Democrat-like sort of maneuver.

D.A. King is founder of the Dustin Inman Society and proprietor of ImmigrationPolicticsGA.com .

A version of this essay was originally posted on the subscription news and opinion outlet, “James Magazine Online” on November 15, 2023.

 

2018: In converted jail cell, Brian Kemp talks tough on illegal aliens

By

In converted jail cell, Kemp talks tough on illegal immigrants

AJC

Feb. 19, 2018

Secretary of State Brian Kemp launched his statewide bus tour Monday with a trip to a former city jail converted into a coffee shop, where he outlined a crackdown on illegal immigration.

The Republican told a few dozen supporters it was “insane” that immigrants in the country illegally get healthcare coverage when “residents are getting priced out of the market.”

In a nod to Gov. Nathan Deal’s criminal justice overhaul, he said tougher restrictions on access to insurance benefits should also be up for consideration.

“I’m all for accountability courts and helping those who need helping,” he said. “But for those who are here illegally, and not following the rules, we need to send them home.”

Kemp is one of five leading Republicans in the race to succeed Deal. He faces Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, former state Sen. Hunter Hill, business executive Clay Tippins and state Sen. Michael Williams in the May primary.

Two Democrats – former state lawmakers Stacey Abrams and Stacey Evans – are competing for their party’s nomination.

After his campaign stop, Kemp said discussions with hospital executives who lament about spending millions in indigent care to people who aren’t in the country legally helped inform his policy.

“I get that medical professionals have a duty to do that, but the American people are paying for it,” said Kemp, who like other Republican contenders is a critic of the Affordable Care Act. “Families are paying $2,000 a month for insurance with a $5,000 deductible. And people are fed up with that.” read the rest here from the liberal AJC.

 

On the air: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones talks about rolling back regulation to help GA business

By

 

 

 

  • UPDATE, May 6, 2024: As we feared, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones put SB 354 on the Senate floor after being educated from here on the fact that it dismantled the existing process that requires the verification of lawful presence for applicants for covered occupational licenses. According to Gov. Kemp’s website, SB 354 was a a “high priority” for Lt. Gov. Jones. Kemp signed SB 354 into law on May 2. Readers can catch up on SB 354 here.

 

“I think right now, we’ve got more laws on the books than we can enforce, and I think this ought to be a good time, now more than ever, to, uh, show that we are really conservatives, and we are really about small government, and that’s about, uh, repealing useless pieces of legislation, things of that nature.” – Lt Gov Burt Jones

Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones was a guest on the Martha Zoller radio show, Nov.6, 2023 to talk about his rollout of the effort to reduce regulation and make businesses more efficient. He calls it the “Red Tape Rollback initiative.”

  • Note: We hope and trust that the Lt. Gov will not help pass the sure-to-come efforts to dismantle laws that we fought hard to put in place to deter illegal employment and illegal immigration – like OCGA 50-36-1 as an example. And we are happy to hear about concerns with public safety. Maybe this means there will be a focus on strengthening and beginning to enforce our anti-sanctuary city laws. Because we now have sanctuary counties.

Audio here. Transcript by Rev.com below.

My cost: $22.00 and about an hour.

Update: Nov 8, 2023: Later in the day many state Senators stood with Lt. Gov Jones to support his Roll Back Regs for business initiative. Photo below.

__

 

Martha Zoller:

It is the Martha Zoller show. We’re gonna continue our discussion on what is happening in Israel with Hamas and all of that, but we’re gonna bring it back closer to home right now, because the best thing we can do, as Americans, as Georgians, is to do the best we can with what we have here in this country. Uh, there are a lot of things that are out of our control, and I know that that is frustrating to people.

And joining me right now is Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, who has been working hard in the off session, uh, on kind of letting people know what his plans are gonna be going forward into the next legislative session. Uh, Lieutenant Governor Jones, thank you for being with me today.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Hey, Martha. Good to be with you. Hope you’re doing well this morning-

Republican radio show host Martha Zoller says illegal immigration has increased so much that Gov. Brian Kemp “had to change his tactics” and abandon his campaign promises on “criminal illegals” and ending sanctuary cities.

Martha Zoller:

Thank-

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

… and thank you for having me on.

Martha Zoller:

Sure thing. Tell us about this red tape rollback initiative and what it’s going to do.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Yeah. I mean, it’s a pretty simple concept. We always talk about being conservative, uh, Republicans and have less government and things of that nature. But you know, every year, ever since I’ve been up in the legislature, we always pass more and more bills, more and more legislative, uh, that people have to, uh, abide by either, either from a business standpoint or individually.

And I said, “You know what? The second half of the biennial, uh, why don’t we, uh, start, uh, taking some, some, uh, legislation off the books and useless, uh, uh, regulations and things of that nature?”

Uh, because I think right now, we’ve got more laws on the books than we can enforce, and I think this ought to be a good time, now more than ever, to, uh, show that we are really conservatives, and we are really about small government, and that’s about, uh, repealing useless pieces of legislation, things of that nature.

And, uh, it’s gonna range from, I, I gave the Senators a, uh, I gave ’em kind of free, free fall, just told ’em to, you know, “Bring to us what you think, uh, uh, in, in your area doesn’t, doesn’t warrant, uh, uh, being on the books, and we’ll look at it and talk, uh, look at [inaudible 00:02:00] repealing it, uh, this upcoming session.”

Martha Zoller:

You know, in Texas, they do two-year budgets, and in the off year, they do oversight. They just, they go basically through the budget looking th- for problems like you’re talking about.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Mm-hmm.

Martha Zoller:

Senator Isakson, before his death, he had introduced that a number of times in, um, the United States Senate on the federal level. And you know, I don’t, it’s not, it didn’t go anywhere. But you know, it’s not a bad idea, and we used to, a long time ago, have this thing where e- a department a year went through kind of an up and down view of almost every line in their budget. So I love this idea of looking for where we’ve overlapped, looking for regulations, all of that sort of thing, because there are some tools in place that we could use that would really make us more efficient.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Oh, no question. Yeah. Looking at agencies and duplication of services and things of that nature [inaudible 00:02:55] definitely s- something that I’m glad you told me that, uh, Johnny Isakson, that was his i- his idea at the federal level, because you know, I’ve always, uh, admired, uh, his service to our state and everything.

And, and, uh, you know, and it does. It needs to be looked at every, uh, um, o- occasionally, you know. What are we doing? How can we, uh, serve the people of Georgia better, uh, whether it be through, uh, eliminating some regulatory things that are not needed, duplication of services and things of that nature?

And I, I figured there’s no better time than the second half of a biennial, when a lot of people are looking at their reelections and things of that nature, um, that it, it’d be nice for ’em to be able to go home and, and tell people, “Instead of, instead of more restraints that we’ve put on, uh, citizens, there, here’s some of the things that we did to, uh, to alleviate some of the burdens that we might have and, uh, whether it be an interpersonal level or business level or whatever.” So we’re excited about it and, uh, I appreciate you having me on to showcase it.

Martha Zoller:

Well, one of the things you’re also looking at is expanding the definition of small business. And we know that most Georgians work for what’s defined as a small business. So how would that help? And how would that work?

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Well, you know, I mean, yeah. I don’t know how, how you can, uh, you know, I, I consider, uh, my business a small business, you know, but I, but some people might not, uh, consider that.

But I will say this, uh, because the things that, um, when, when companies are trying to get permitting or, and, and things of that nature, either at the local level or through Secretary of State’s Office, uh, th- they need to, I always tell people, “There needs to be a, some sort of a timeframe in which they know that they can, uh, expect a result.”

You know, and, uh, so many times, I see businesses held up, uh, by either local, uh, permitting processes or engineering processes, things of that nature, or the Secretary of State’s level, where they’re just trying to get somebody to call ’em back and, and, and issue a, a renewal license, things of that nature.

So we’re, we’re gonna look at all those things and see what, what we can do better. Uh, there’s always places that we can improve. And, um, and, uh, and so that’s what, that’s what the nature of this exercise is and the, and the upcoming session is gonna be about.

Martha Zoller:

So school safety, I know, is something you’re focusing on, you talked about last week.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Sure.

Martha Zoller:

And, um, uh, I’m on the State Board of Education and, and I, you know, it’s something we think about. And I will tell you, too, that Will Schofield, who’s the longest serving superintendent in the state of Georgia, he, he’s the superintendent for Hall County, one of the things he’s doing is he says, “If you look at school shootings, it’s usually somebody we know. It’s somebody who was-“

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Mm-hmm.

Martha Zoller:

“… affiliated with our school, maybe went to our school, worked at our school.” G- Generally, it’s not-

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Sure.

Martha Zoller:

… some random person that just comes into the school. And what they’re doing is, um, teaching, from teachers all the way down to students, how to interact, how to deal with difficult situations, how to, how to deal with their feelings and all of that kind of stuff. So he’s all for hardening schools and doing those ki- things, but he’s making huge, uh, progress in lowering the level of violence in the schools in Hall County across the board by teaching these skills. And I think that’s something worth looking at.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Mm-hmm. No. I’d definitely love to speak with him about that, Martha. Maybe you could fac- can facilitate that [inaudible 00:06:15].

Martha Zoller:

I would absolutely do that. (laughs)

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

What, what we, uh, what we rolled out, uh, it was a grant program that, it really got misconstrued, misrepresented-

Martha Zoller:

I agree. Yeah.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

… in the media is, uh, is i- it was, it was basically a grant program for those school systems’ school boards that would want to participate, uh, and, and they could use dollars to, uh, to beef up security, to hire off-duty police officers, things of that nature.

And, uh, and also, if, if they so choose, they could, they could have a staff member, uh, who would be, um, uh, if, if gone through the proper training, could, training, could be, also serve as the on-staff, uh, security [inaudible 00:06:54] as well. But of course, you know, the, the liberal media blew it up as if we were trying to arm every schoolteacher.

And at the end of the day, we’re not taking anything away from the local school boards and what their abilities are, uh, in governing, uh, school systems. All we were trying to do is for those systems that really can’t afford, uh, to be able to have, uh, extra security, law enforcement agencies on, on the staff, uh, then they would be able to be given a, a grant that could potentially help ’em do that.

So, um, but I love your concept about what your Hall County Superintendent’s doing and would love to… All, all we’re trying to do is find the best way possible that we can ensure that our schools are safe, our kids and our teachers are safe. And, and we’re gonna explore every option, uh, there is out there to do so.

Martha Zoller:

Absolutely. So tell us a little more about what you’re working on for this next session, because I know we’re, we’re in the throes of hearings and study groups and all that kind of stuff. What’s on your radar?

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Uh, I know. I know. Well, you know, well, well, we’ve got a special session coming up, obviously, with the, um, you know, having to look at the maps that a judge, uh, you know, ruled, uh, against the maps we’d drawn, so we’re gonna have to do that here in a couple weeks right after, um, Thanksgiving, I guess.

But, uh, you know, this coming session, it’s gonna be a lot like sessions in the past. We’re gonna look at, uh, you know, how we can, uh, continue to make, uh, the, um, uh, Georgia economy one of the best and the state to do business in.

We’re gonna look at how we can improve our K-12 education. I’m a big proponent of, of, uh, of the school choice measure that we put forth this past year.

And obviously, public safety is a huge, a huge thing every year. And we’re gonna continue to do things to see how we can la- help local and state governments with, uh, public safety.

And, and, uh, and so, um, you know, those are all, those are all a- all measures that are, that are, um, that are at the legislature every, every session. And we’ll, we’ll continue to look at how we can best put our, put our spin and touches on the, on the whatever the final p- product looks like at the end of the session.

Martha Zoller:

If people need to interact with your office, uh, Lieutenant Governor, how can they do that?

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Oh, yeah. They can go to, uh, Burt, uh, Jones for GA, burtjonesforga.com, uh, or they can, uh, go to lieutenant governor for Jones, uh, for, on the, uh, official side, luca- luca- lieutenantgovernorburtjones.com on the official side. And, and, uh, and we’re one of those, um, Martha, we’re one of those that we aim to please. We’ve got a great, uh, customer service or public relations, uh, team that ne- any time somebody has an issue, they can give us a call. We’ll be happy to, uh, uh, try to, try to best assist ’em in whatever their issues are.

Martha Zoller:

Yeah. I mean, I’m getting great feedback on your constituent services through your office, so I wanted to make sure people knew how they could do that.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

Sure. Absolutely. Well, I appreciate you having me on today, Martha.

Martha Zoller:

Thanks.

GA Lt. Gov Burt Jones:

And always a, always a pleasure to be with you.

Martha Zoller:

Thank you so much. Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, about his rollout of trying to reduce regulation and make businesses more efficient. This is one of the things he promised to voters when he was elected, and it’s one of the things he’s, he is trying to do now. We’ll be back on the Martha Zoller show.