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Veto needed for GA’s SB 354 from Sen Larry Walker Updated

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  • Update: To none’s surprise, Gov. Kemp quietly signed SB 354 into law on May 2, 2024

     Pro-enforcement readers have a chance to take an active role in preventing the Republicans in the state Capitol from dismantling long-standing state law aimed at illegal immigration. I respectfully urge you to take advantage of the opportunity.

Maybe the illegal aliens most members of the General Assembly have invited to Georgia won’t murder another college co-ed. You never know, right? For all but two Republican legislators under the Gold Dome, that possibility is merely the cost of “workforce development,” Georgia being “number one for business!” and obedience of directives from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Sen. Larry Walker (R- Perry) lead sponsor of SB 354. Contact info here.

Senate Bill 354 is an anti-enforcement bill concocted by the Georgia Chamber and sponsored by Senators Larry Walker (R- Perry), Brian Strickland (R-McDonough), Jason Anavitarte (R- Dallas), Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta), Kim Jackson (D-Atlanta), Steve Gooch (R- Dahlonega), John F. Kennedy (R-Macon), and Randy Robertson (R- Cataula). The stated goal is to make it easier to go to work in Georgia.

What does SB 354 do? It dismantles state law put in place in 2006 that requires all applicants for occupational licenses to swear on an affidavit that they are not an illegal alien. False swearing is a felony. The law is OCGA 50-36-1 – “verification of lawful presence.” It’s part of the occupational licensing process – if the licensing process goes away, the immigration check goes too. Which, again, is exactly what SB 354 does for covered jobs.

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

The legislation applies to low skilled personnel in the barbering/cosmetology industry and removes the requirement for accessing an occupational license for the covered workers. Next year’s edition will be aimed at more occupations because according to a Sen. Larry Walker-sponsored Resolution passed by the GOP-ruled Senate last year, occupational licensing in Georgia is “burdensome and onerous.”

Despite this writer’s frantic effort to stop the bill by explaining all this to key Republican lawmakers, the bill was sent to Gov. Kemp’s desk on March 26. Only two Republicans in the General Assembly voted against the measure – House Reps Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) and Kimberly New (R- Villa Rica). Yes, you read that correctly – zero Republican state senators voted “no” and only two Republicans in the House.

  • Related reading: Email to GA Rep Alan Powell on SB 354 as instructed by his assistant 

It should be noted that the immigration verification law under attack from the “anything-for-a-buck” crowd under the Gold Dome was put in place as part of SB 529, the ‘Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act of 2006.’ It was signed by Republican Governor Sonny Perdue that year. It began the committee process in the Senate Public Safety committee chaired by then state Senator Brian Kemp who told the liberal Atlanta Journal Constitution at the time that many Georgians are “fed up” with illegal immigration. Indeed.

Will Kemp sign a bill that dismantles state illegal immigration laws that he helped put on the books? The smart money says “yes”, unless he knows a lot of GOP voters are watching.

The bottom line is this: Only a veto from Kemp can stop SB 354 from becoming law in Georgia. If that happens, we should all grasp that more bills with the same goals will pass next year and thereafter. Gov. Brian Kemp will not veto this bill without public pressure.

Honest.

Please call the Capitol office of Gov. Brian Kemp (404-656-1776) and leave a message with the staffer asking him to veto SB 354.

I’ll wash your car if you speak up.

 

The above column was published in the Coastal Georgia newspaper The Islander on April 8, 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

Legislation for a Georgia-operated guest worker program now in place

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Rep Matt Reeves (on right) and wage and hour attorney Les A. Schneider explain HB 1432, House Industry and Labor subcommittee, March 19, 2024.

 

Video record of the presentation of HB 1432 to the House Industry and Labor subcommittee today – here.

From the “what could go wrong?” department: While we wait for the Republicans under the Gold Dome to pass Rep Jesse Petrea’s now celebrated pro-enforcement immigration legislation (HB 1105), we note the post-Crossover Day introduction of a bill from Matt Reeves (R – Duluth).  Petrea’s effort can easily be described as a bill that says we will finally enforce some of the state illegal immigration-related laws passed nearly two decades ago.

Reeves is promising future enforcement of a long list of new state immigration laws he wants to put in place next year. He wants to create a Georgia guest worker program. I am not joking – neither is Reeves.

From HB 1432: “The state administered guest worker program shall be for the purpose of filling needed labor shortages in the State of Georgia through the hiring by employers within this state of willing citizens of other nations to perform work in this state for limited periods of time.”

Here it should be noted that there are at least eleven different visa categories in place today owned and operated by the federal government.

Reeves’ new work force expansion program would allow a Georgia-directed temporary foreign worker to bring a spouse and minor children, all of whom would be issued a Georgia “guest worker ID card.”

Some of the new enforcement requirements would entail collecting a fee from a participating Georgia employer to offset the costs of administering the guest worker program; to check that the employer provides health insurance for the guest worker – and to verify the guest worker has health insurance in place for his family that come with him to the Peach State.

The employer would also “agree to provide housing for such temporary and accompanying family members through housing provided by the employer or other rental or public housing.”  The employer would “agree to provide each guest worker with three meals a day or furnish free and convenient cooking and kitchen facilities to the guest workers that will enable the guest workers to prepare their own meals.”

Reeves is tacitly promising that the proposed state-created guest workers will be treated better in Georgia than the federally supervised foreign workers. We doubt it.

We are duty bound to remind all concerned that when a state action aimed at sanctions for illegal employment or “undocumented workers” arises, either the business lobby or the corporate-funded, ethnic-hustlers invariably howl that “immigration and enforcement is a federal issue!”

According to the 2023 edition of the federal ‘Entry/Exit Overstay Report’ 853,955 temporary visa holders refused to go home when their temporary visas expired in 2022.

*  Related reading: “There is nothing more permanent than a temporary worker.”

Reeves’ promises five years in prison and a large fine for guest workers who don’t return to their home countries upon termination of their state guest worker status. Apparently, the Georgia Department of Labor would get into the temporary foreign worker tracking business.

One can’t help but imagine the news coverage of a “temporary worker” brought here by the Georgia government who refuses to leave while screaming “my kid was born here and is an American citizen – we won’t leave! – gimme our taxpayer-funded private school, ‘school choice’ tuition!”

In case it is relevant, it should at least be mentioned that Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary said in a sharply worded statement that his country would refuse to take anyone back who is ordered to leave the U.S. under a state law and that it “categorically rejects” any state or local government enforcement of immigration laws according to a recent AP report.

In addition to Reeves, the signers on HB 1432 are Reps Reynaldo Martinez (R – Loganville), Derrick Jackson (D- Tyrone), Shelly Hutchinson (D- Snellville), Mary Margaret Oliver (D – Decatur), Alan Powell (R- Hartwell), Saira Draper (D – Atlanta), Farooq Mughal (D- Dacula), Steve Tarvin (R- Chickamauga), Yasmin Neal (D- Jonesboro), Derrick McCollum (R-Chestnut Mountain) and Kasey Carpenter (R- Dalton).

What could go wrong?

 

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

Sanctuary Georgia: Kemp on illegal immigration at home

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Screenshot, Brian Kemp 2018 TV campaign ad.

 

Shortly after taking office in 2021, Democrat Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens invited a mariachi band to celebrate his announcement to end the lifesaving 287(g) agreement with federal immigration authorities – and then he danced. The invited crowd of newly empowered, anti-enforcement activists funded by corporate Georgia went wild with gratitude.

At his swearing-in event in Gwinnett County, Keybo Taylor, the newly elected Democrat sheriff, stood before a large audience – including media – and boasted that he too had ended the jail’s 287 (g) agreement with ICE. He went further by announcing “what we will not be doing is notifying ICE of anybody’s immigration status in the jail or any of our facilities.” To make his professional position on the inherent dangers of “criminal illegals” set free on our streets crystal clear, Taylor added “we will not keep anyone in jail under an ICE detainer.”

Newly elected sheriff Keybo Taylor speaks at a press conference at the Gwinnett County Jail on January 1, 2021. STEVE SCHAEFER FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. (AJC)

As Rep Jesse Petrea pointed out in his recent column announcing his pro-enforcement bill HB 1105 (“The Criminal Alien Track and Report Act”) the definition of “sanctuary” policies in state law OCGA 36-80-23. “…means any regulation, rule, policy, or practice adopted by a local governing body which prohibits or restricts local officials or employees from communicating or cooperating with federal officials or law enforcement officers with regard to reporting immigration status information while such local official or employee is acting within the scope of his or her official duties.”

Many thanks from here to Rep. Petrea for his tenacity and courage in filing his legislation. While illegal immigration is fittingly the number-one issue in the nation, the same is not true in Georgia’s “Number One for Business” politics. Broaching the issue with a Peach State focus under the Gold Dome does not result in long or welcomed conversations. Petrea is a genuine leader.

That Gwinnett Sheriff Keybo Taylor is in violation of state law he is sworn to enforce by declaring an illegal sanctuary policy is not in question for reasonable observers. But he is not alone among Georgia jailers in flouting the law designed to protect Georgians from the criminal illegals who are murdering, raping and molesting innocent Georgians – including our children.

This writer has spent considerable time over the last several years talking to law enforcement officials and collecting responses to open records requests that show many Georgia jailers do not obey the laws against sanctuary. Complaints filed with various officials and agencies in an effort to force compliance – or at least coverage in “the news” – went nowhere.

Taylor and the many other jailers who are ignoring Georgia’s two laws against sanctuary policies have escaped the media attention that naive and trusting voters would expect for sheriffs in open and public defiance of existing state law. The reason for the news suppression is not a mystery. Most of the media is not on the side of immigration enforcement. But imagine the howling headlines if a state agency were in violation of any law that benefits illegal aliens.

It is sadly accurate to say that much of Georgia is a sanctuary state.

This brings us to Gov. Brian Kemp. As noted by the liberal AJC at the time, Kemp’s first TV ad in the 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary cited Americans who had been killed by illegal aliens and portrayed him as “tough on illegal immigration.” The widespread belief then was that he meant tough on illegal immigration in Georgia.

“As governor, conservative businessman Brian Kemp will create a comprehensive database to track criminal aliens in Georgia. He will also update Georgia law to streamline deportations from our jails and prisons” went the detailed promises Kemp made on his 2018 campaign website.

“Donald Trump was right. We must secure the border and end sanctuary cities” said candidate Kemp (video) in 2018. But Kemp has ignored illegal immigration in Georgia.

Sending National Guard to the border has not resulted in sheriffs like Keybo Taylor ending their illegal sanctuary policies. “Standing with” Texas Gov Abbott in an on-the-border Fox News camera shot will not help final passage of Rep. Petrea’s enforcement bill in Georgia.

If Kemp is ever going to finally speak up on enforcing Georgia’s laws on illegal immigration – especially laws prohibiting sanctuary policies – Petrea’s measure provides an ideal opportunity.

Section ll, Paragraph ll of the Georgia Constitution says: “The Governor shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed and shall be the conservator of the peace throughout the state.” If Brian Kemp continues to ignore illegal immigration and sanctuary jails in at home, we should ask exactly how he is better on the dangerous crisis in Georgia than Joe Biden is nationally.

  • A version of this essay was posted in the subscription news and opinion outlet James Magazine Online, Feb. 15, 2024.

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.

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

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Ga. Gov. Brain Kemp.

 

Yo, Davos! While he is over there, could you please have your witch doctor put a spell on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp that would make him honor his oath of office and his 2018 campaign promises by enforcing our state laws against sanctuary cities? We want that to be the “Georgia way.” It’s worth a try!

We now have sanctuary counties.  BTW: Quanto costa?

Screenshot, Brian Kemp TV campaign ad, 2018.

 

Illegal aliens on an oversight committee? Georgia’s pending ‘school choice’ bill needs more work SB 233

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Georgia House Chamber – photo, AJC.

 

“The bill defines “parents” as “a biological parent, legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of a student.”

It took several years of work from pro-enforcement advocates, but Georgia’s pending “school choice” bill, SB 233 (LC 49 1473S) excludes illegal alien students. See lines 82 & 83. Because it is intentionally cryptic, we posted an easy to understand explanation elsewhere for curious readers.

School choice is a solid conservative idea if done responsibly – but the current version still doesn’t fit that description. Not for the first time, we note that SB 233 contains no exclusion for illegal alien “parents.” This writer predicts this easily remedied fact will be a significant problem for bill sponsors and Gov. Kemp when trusting GOP voters are educated on the details of the legislation.

Ga. Gov. Brain Kemp.

The bill defines “parents” (on lines 37 & 38) as “a biological parent, legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of a student.” It makes the parent the applicant for the student to access the taxpayer funded “Promise Scholarship” benefit (see line 105).

Federal statistics reveal that over 300,000 illegal “migrants” entered the U.S last month (Dec. 2023) – more than the population of Savannah, Marietta and Warner Robins combined. Legislators ignore this reality at their political peril.

Hardworking Georgians will likely not take kindly to a GOP-pushed law that allows any illegals to apply for a discretionary taxpayer-funded benefit – including private school tuition.

  • Related: Estimates are that 400,000 illegal aliens called Georgia home in 2018

The same taxpayers may have a strong objection to a law that names any illegally present “parent” as the “recognized recipient” of state funds for private school tuition as laid out in lines 126-129: “Any account funds directed to a participating school or service provider are so directed on behalf of the participating student’s parent, the recognized recipient of such participating student’s account funds, and wholly as a result of the genuine and independent private choice of the parent.”

More, from lines 208-211: “The commission shall develop a system for parents to direct account funds to participating schools and service providers by electronic funds transfer, automated clearing-house transfer, or another system that the commission finds to be commercially viable, cost-effective, and easy for parents of participating students to use.”

S. Greg Dolezal (R- Alpharetta), lead sponsor, SB 233.

Lines 211- 214 create a scenario in which the state of Georgia could easily be in the position of sending tax dollars directly to illegal alien “parents” to reimburse them for out-of-pocket expenses and/or “certain qualified education expenses.”

It doesn’t take much imagination to realize that most conservative voters aren’t going to sit quietly while a law is put in place that would allow illegal aliens to serve on a school choice oversight committee either. But SB 233 does exactly that. “Parents” would serve on a parental review committee that would oversee eligible expenses for school choice benefits – see lines 238-240: “To assist in the determination of whether certain expenses meet the requirements to be considered a qualified education expense under this chapter, a parent review committee shall be established.”

And this from lines & 253-254: “The commission may request the (parent review) committee to determine whether an expenditure of account funds from an account qualifies as a qualified education expense under this chapter.”

Rep. Todd Jones (R- Cumming) House sponsor, SB 233.

More on parents’ participation: “(line 48) Qualified education expenses’ means any one or more of the following: … “Other expenses authorized by the State Board of Education or the commission; or Individual education expenses authorized by a majority of the parent review committee provided for in Code Section 20-2B-6 (lines 64-66).”

There are several commonsense solutions to all this. It seems that the simplest is to insert language into the bill that designates the “Promise Scholarship” school choice benefit as a “state grant.” That should require the applicant – the “parent” – to complete the “verification of lawful presence” process that is already in OCGA 50-36-1. Shorter: It would exclude illegal alien parents – if the law was enforced.

It is noteworthy that several inquiries have reportedly already been made to the Attorney General’s office asking if the school choice scholarship would be a state grant in the bill as is. I understand that the AG has informed more than one state legislator that the question would not be answered on a pending bill.

  • A version of the above oped was originally posted on the subscription outlet James Magazine Online on January 5, 2024.

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

Dalton Rep. Kasey Carpenter did not vote on the recent House Resolution condemning Hamas terror in Israel

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Dalton area readers may remember hearing in “the news” that many Democrat state House members walked out of the House Chamber instead of casting a vote on a recent Resolution condemning Hamas terrorism.

Here is a bit of that Dec. 4, 2023 story taken from the liberal AJC:

“The Georgia House adopted a Resolution that condemned the deadly Hamas attack against Israel as a “disgusting display of hatred and evil” in a vote Monday that exposed a sharp Democratic divide over the growing conflict in the Middle East.

It passed 129-2 after an hourlong debate, with dozens of Democrats abstaining from the vote. Others were marked absent after several Democratic lawmakers said they wouldn’t back the measure.

The vote was engineered by Republicans to demonstrate GOP unity behind Israel — and highlight political divisions among Democrats…”

(read the entire AJC report here).

What the AJC did not report was that Dalton Republican Kasey Carpenter did not vote on the same Resolution. If you want to ask him why, his Capitol contact info is here.

Dalton Rep Kasey Carpenter.

Vote record:

To see the vote record on the House resolution (HR 4EX) click here then find “12/04/2023 House vote #10” on the bottom, left  right side.

The House Resolution is pasted below from the General Assembly website.

 

House Resolution 4EX
By: Representatives Cox of the 28th, Panitch of the 51st, Carson of the 46th, Efstration of the 104th, McDonald of the 26th, and others

A RESOLUTION

  1.   Condemning Hamas terrorism, expressing our support for the Jewish people; and for other
  2.   purposes.
  3.  WHEREAS, the heinous murders committed by Hamas are a disgusting display of hatred and
  4.   evil and are offensive to every decent human being; and
  5.   WHEREAS, the unprovoked attacks included shooting the elderly at point-blank range,
  6.  murdering babies, raping young women, and torturing families in front of loved ones; and
  7.   WHEREAS, the terrorists further took hundreds of innocent hostages, including Americans,
  8.   back into Gaza for continued torture and abuse; and
  9.   WHEREAS, these vicious acts have been condoned by some individuals and groups within
  10.   the United States, including within the State of Georgia, through social media posts, public
  11.   rallies, and calls for a “National Day of Resistance”; and
  12.   WHEREAS, as legislative leaders, it is our duty to call out hatred when we see it, both from
  13.   Hamas and those who misguidedly support them; andH. R. 4EX -1-

23 LC 112 1708

  1.   WHEREAS, we must stand united with our Jewish friends, neighbors, and colleagues to
  2.   reject Hamas and the terror they seek to perpetuate; and
  3.   WHEREAS, our prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones in these attacks and
  4.   to the brave Israeli soldiers who are exercising their nation’s right to self-defense by fighting
  5.   back against the Hamas terrorists who seek the eradication of the Jewish people; we stand
  6.   with Israel.
  7.   NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
  8.   the members of this body condemn Hamas and those who support their violent and hateful
  9.   acts both in the United States and the State of Georgia, and express our support for the
  10.   Jewish people.
  11.   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
  12.   and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the
  13.   public and the press.

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

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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.

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 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.

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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. (?)

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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

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“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.

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“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

 

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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.

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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.

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TRIDENT Refit Facility, Kings Bay Apprenticeship Program

Overview

HERE.

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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.

 

Will somebody please tell Senator John Ossoff that temporary visa holders are not “immigrants”?

By

“Thomas Jonathan Ossoff is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Ossoff was previously a documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist.” Wikipedia
Born: 1987″

Our email today brought a response (below) from U.S. Senator John Ossoff to an email I sent to his office about illegal immigration, temporary visas and the open borders operated by the Democrats. In it, Sen. Ossoff explains to me that “millions of hardworking immigrants across America meet critical needs in our economy through temporary work visas.”

No, they don’t.

Temporary work visas are nonimmigrant visas and they only go to nonimmigrants. Including illegal aliens and temporary visa holders, nonimmigrants are not immigrants. Unless they violate the terms of their permanent residence status, immigrants have  green cards.

This is a “green card.”

To help Sen Ossoff, his staff, agenda-driven, liberal newspaper editors and the rest of the left, we post some easily accessed information below on the difference between immigrants and non-immigrants with links to the sources. Ugh.

* Contact Senator Ossoff here.

Easy phone call and a nice staffer at 202-224-3521 in Washington D.C.

He is on the Senate Judiciary Committee for Pete’s sake.

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  • “immigrant”:  Any person lawfully in the United States who is not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or person admitted under a nonimmigrant category as defined by the Immigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals who intend to live permanently in the United States. Nonimmigrant visas are for foreign nationals wishing to enter the United States on a temporary basis – for tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work, study, or other similar reasons.  dhs.gov

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  • Nonimmigrant vs. Immigrant Status 

Nonimmigrant status

This status is for people who enter the U.S. on a temporary basis – whether for tourism, business, temporary work, or study. Once a person has entered the U.S. in nonimmigrant status, they are restricted to the activity or reason for which they were allowed entry. Some people may have more than one visa in their passport, but they can only be admitted into the U.S. in one type of nonimmigrant status at a time.  Most nonimmigrant visas are issued only to applicants who can demonstrate their intentions to return to their home country.

If a visa officer at a U.S. consulate abroad believes that an application for a nonimmigrant visa is only a pretext for an intent to stay permanently once allowed into the U.S., the officer may deny the visa application. The consular officer may conclude that the nonimmigrant does not have the intent to stay temporarily because s/he cannot show significant family or employment related ties to their country of origin.

Immigrant Status

This is for people who live permanently in the United States.  Synonymous terms for immigrant status are: Permanent Resident, immigrant, green card holder, and resident alien. Gaining immigrant status can be a lengthy and complex process that requires close consultation with an immigration attorney. UC Berkley

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* Requirements for Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas

immigrant:  Any person lawfully in the United States who is not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or person admitted under a nonimmigrant category as defined by the INA Section 101(a)(15). U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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* Immigrant Visa

An immigrant visa is issued to a foreign national who intends to live and work permanently in the United States. In most cases, a relative or employer sponsors the individual by filing an application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Certain applicants such as workers with extraordinary ability, investors, and certain special immigrants can petition on their own behalf. The application is later forwarded to the appropriate U.S. Consulate or Embassy overseas for continued processing and issuance of the immigrant visa to the intending immigrant, if eligible. An intending immigrant must present the immigrant visa at a U.S. port-of-entry prior to the expiration of the immigrant visa. An intending immigrant becomes a lawful permanent resident once the immigrant visa and accompanying paperwork is reviewed and endorsed by a CBP Officer. For specific information regarding immigrant visa classifications and requirements, refer to the USCIS website or the Department of State website.
Non-Immigrant Visa 

Nonimmigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States on a temporary basis for tourism, business, medical treatment and certain types of temporary work. The type of nonimmigrant visa needed is defined by immigration law, and related to the purpose of the travel. Generally, an individual applies directly to the U.S. consulate or embassy abroad for a tourist (B-2) or business nonimmigrant (B-1) visa. However, foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States to study or work may require certain authorization and documentation prior to applying for a nonimmigrant visa. For an alphabetical listing all of the nonimmigrant visa classifications and specific requirements refer to the USCIS website. or the U.S. Department of State website.

Issuance of a visa does not guarantee entry to the United States. A visa simply indicates that a U.S. consular officer at an American embassy or consulate has reviewed the application and that officer has determined that the individual is eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose. The CBP Officer at the port-of-entry will conduct an inspection to determine if the individual is eligible for admission under U.S. immigration law. U.S. Customs and Border Protection