Search Results for: politics georgia

 

 

To be an eligible student, an individual shall: “Reside in this state; be 21 years of age or older; and have not attained a high school diploma.”

 

• “Workforce EXCELeration:” – Another proposed new state-funded benefit – illegal aliens included – Republican Sen. Jason Anavitarte lead sponsor.

*According to Sen Anavitarte, SB 112 would “…expand educational opportunities to Georgians which would in turn, create more jobs across the state.”

*We note that federal law prohibits employment of illegal aliens. 

* State law prohibits illegal aliens from accessing taxpayer-funded Adult Education

*Only one Republican voted “NO” on the bill in the senate.

• There is a companion bill in the House, HB 313

 

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Explainer, the short version : The GA state Senate has passed a bill (SB 112) that creates a new Adult Education pilot program aimed at “Workforce EXCELeration” (get it?) that sends ‘the undiploma-ed’ Georgia residents aged twenty-one and over to the state technical college system for classes that result in a high school diploma.

The bill says existing state laws that prohibit this goal may be waived – federal laws too.

If there is an exclusion for illegal aliens, we don’t see it (there isn’t). You may want to ask your state senator to direct you to the line number that contains that exclusion. I sent an email to my own state senator, Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick,  asking that question.

Her response to me:

“Don’t see it. Better talk to Senator Anavitarte because he’ll present it on House side. I can mention it to him too.”

The bill is pushed by lead sponsor, Senator Jason Anivitarte (R – Dallas). You can see the bill’s other sponsors here. SB 112 was passed out of the senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee, Sen. Brandon Beach, Chairman.

• Related: Former Dem candidate and board member on anti-enforcement immigration lobby group wins GOP primary for Georgia state senate — Jason Anavitarte

The video of the twelve-ish minute committee hearing is here, (see 2/13/23). It’s the first bill heard. The bill passed committee unanimously and has been passed by the full senate. Only one Republican voted against the bill.

Vote record here.  And below.

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 *Related: The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is pushing this bill. See also Goodwill Industries.

From SB 112:

 Establish High School Diplomas for Adult Learners Program

”…relating to vocational, technical, and adult education, so as to provide for a pilot program whereby qualifying private nonprofit entities provide instruction and other services for eligible students 21 years of age and older to attain a high school diploma; to provide for program requirements; to provide for waivers and variances; …”

(Line 28) “It is the intent of the Georgia General Assembly that by empowering Georgians to obtain their high school diplomas and obtain industry recognized certifications, they can excel in the workforce and improve the life trajectory for themselves and their families.”

“Chapter 4 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to vocational, technical, and adult education, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows…”

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More details

To be an eligible student, an individual shall: “Reside in this state; be 21 years of age or older; and have not attained a high school diploma.”

 The Technical College System of Georgia is authorized to establish a pilot program to allow eligible students to qualify for enrollment in the High School Diploma Program for Adult Learners. Students would be awarded a high school diploma upon completion. The goal is to judge the feasibility of implementing a state-funded program for individuals residing in this state who are 21 years of age or older and who have not attained a high school diploma to enroll and participate in a program.

There would be no cost to the participating students. We see no provision that excludes illegal aliens – who are prohibited by state law from accessing Adult Education and by federal law from employment…even if the senate goal is “Workforce EXCELeration.”

The TCSG would be authorized to provide funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the implementation of the pilot program to private nonprofit entities to instruction to the “adult learners.”

The “pilot program” would run for six years. Two years after Brian Kemp is out of the Governor’s office.

The bill contains language that allows the TCSG and the State Board of Education to “waive or provide variances to state laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures…” that may be necessary to meet the measure’s goals. Ditto for federal laws that get in the way.

Mr. Bob Trent in St Mary’s is a subscriber to the Dustin Inman Society action alert email list (sign up!) and read about HB 131 there. Mr. Trent sent a letter to the Republican Chairman of the House Higher Education committee Rep Chuck Martin about that legislation today and copied us. He also sent it to all Republican committee members. We post his letter on the bottom.

The bill from Dalton Republican Kasey Carpenter would lower the current tuition rate for illegal aliens in Georgia with a deferral on deportation resulting from Obama’s illegal 2012 DACA proclamation. This would be done by creating a new tier of tuition called “Opportunity Tuition” and it would only be available to the illegal aliens with the illegal DACA status.

Americans and immigrants whose families came to the U.S. according to our immigration laws who live in other states would not be eligible for the greatly reduced tuition rate.

Rep Chuck Martin gave a short speech to the committee on HB 131 last week telling members, attendees and at least one reporter from the liberal AJC that “…this does not put people that are in the country illegally in front of others.” That is not true.

You can see a three minute video of Rep Martin’s speech on Youtube below. You can see some numbers on tuition as related to HB 131 and cosponsors here. You can see another letter from Bob Trent published by the Brunswick News here.

Here is Bob Trent’s letter. He copied us on each separate email sent to Martin and all of the Republican members of the committee. Thank you, sir.

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(received here 1:03 PM today)

Feb 9, 2023

Rep Chuck Martin

Chairman, House Higher Education Committee

Cc. All Republican committee members

Re: HB 131

Chairman Martin,

I recently watched the video record of your February 1st speech to the members of the committee on HB 131. I write to make it clear that I can see how wrong you are about the contents of the bill and to express my own outrage at your misrepresentation. While I am not a lawyer, I have more than a little experience in reading and understanding statutes and the wording of legislation that creates them. I am having a great deal of trouble accepting that you don’t understand the bill yourself.

What you told the committee members is not true. HB 131 would grant a significant reduction in college tuition costs to illegal aliens living in Georgia who are rightfully now charged out-of-state tuition. It would not reduce that tuition cost for my friend’s American grandson in Iowa who cannot afford to come to college in any of Georgia’s public universities. It would indeed put illegals in front of Americans and lawful immigrants. I think you already know that.

HB 131 is merely a contrived and slightly altered Orwellian version of HB 120 from several years ago. It is not just a bad bill, it is un-American. I am active member of the Camden County Republican Party, and I plan to inform our legislators that a vote in favor of HB 131 would create a lot of ill will here.

I am a retired Senior Special Agent of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (USINS). I have served on metropolitan area drug, and organized crime task forces for many years and have supervised special agents assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In addition, I spent ten years as a uniformed border patrol agent assigned to both the northern and southern borders. My final assignment was as the Assistant Director, Enforcement Training, U.S. Immigration Officer Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, GA.

I wrote to you and most of your committee members in 2021 when Rep Kasey Carpenter tried to pass the instate tuition rates for illegal aliens. DACA recipients are illegal aliens. I pray HB 131 will not become law. I also hope you will apologize to the people who may believe what you said.

Robert Trent

St. Mary’s

(912…….)

 

 

House Higher Education Chairman Chuck Martin (R- Alpharetta) went out of his way to tell his committee last week that GOP Rep Kasey Carpenter’s HB 131 would not give Georgia’s illegal aliens benefits unavailable to Americans and legal immigrants. Martin: “…this does not put people that are in the country illegally in front of others.”

Martin referred to an educational email sent to the Republican members of the committee in an effort to create doubt as to its accuracy. He declined to name the sender. I will. I am the sender. He also incorporated a few lines of the bill that have nothing to do with his remarks – which are entirely false. As a matter of fact it’s difficult not to refer to what state Representative Chuck Martin said as an intentional lie. You can see and hear his entire pre-hearing sale speech to the members of his committee here.

• Related: A new ‘gimmick’: College “opportunity tuition” for illegal aliens – Insider Advantage HB 120 (2021)

The legislation serves to lower the existing tuition rates paid by illegal aliens in Georgia’s public colleges and tech schools by dodging the term “instate tuition” and creating a new tier of tuition – they are calling it “Opportunity tuition.” Carpenter tried the same hustle in 2021 when his first two tries at fooling his fellow committee members failed. Illegal alien students who benefit from the new rate would be known as “Opportunity students.” That new rate would only be the sum of the instate rate plus one to ten percent – a huge reduction for the illegals.

American and legal immigrants who live in other states would not be eligible for this lower rate. They would still be required to pay the out of state tuition charge.

The powerful Georgia Chamber of Commerce is pushing for this bill to pass – again.

Enter the liberal AJC with a story today from education reporter Vanessa McCray on the bill and the false assurance from Martin (AJC On Campus: Georgia student loan numbers, DACA tuition bill). McCray and her editors know the illegals would be getting a deal on reduced tuition that a U.S. citizen in Michigan (for example) could not get at Georgia’s Kennesaw State University (for example) but they play along with Martin with the knowledge that any ignorant legislators and/or readers will take Martin’s hogwash as fact. For those in the back: the AJC wants the bill to pass.

 

 

 

 

 

We expect Martin to allow a few more days before calling a hearing on the bill to allow the AJC distribution of the misinformation to travel around the state. Dollars to donuts other ‘journalists” will parrot the lie.

This is standard fare for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. They pulled a similar misinformation campaign the last time Carpenter tried to slide his “illegal aliens first” bill through. See here and here as examples. More on the AJC here.