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K-12 private school scholarship should be limited to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents SB 601 HB 999 HB 60 #SchoolChoice

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Update: August 31, 2022: The below draft language is evolving and incomplete.

The reference (crossed out below) we had posted here previously to most of the text of OCGA 20-3-519.1 will not work – posting the entire text was an editing error. – dak -Aug 30, 2022.

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DRAFT (partial)

Eligibility:

A student is ineligible for any “NAME OF SCHOLARSHIP” scholarship or grant described in this section if the student is not a United States citizen or lawfully admitted for permanent residence and a Lawful Permanent Resident under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.

For purposes of this section, “lawfully admitted for permanent residence” means the status of having been lawfully accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with U.S. immigration laws, such status not having changed. Such status terminates upon entry of a final administrative order of exclusion, deportation, or removal as defined by the permanent resident alien.

Application for NAME OF SCHOLARSHIP:

The Department shall create a dedicated application for NAME OF SCHOLARSHIP.

The NAME OF SCHOLARSHIP application shall state that it shall only be accepted for processing if accompanied by a certified copy of the U.S. issued birth certificate or valid, unexpired U.S. passport or a current copy of the USCIS Form I-551 (green card). or

Form N-550, Certificate of Naturalization; or Form N-560, Certificate of Citizenship;or

Form FS-240, or Report of Birth Abroad of United States Citizen.

Applicants or parents/ guardians for NAME OF SCHOLARSHIP shall complete the NAME OF SCHOLARSHIP application

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A required, universal and dedicated application can and should be drawn up that requires parents/guardians/custodians of applicants for the state scholarship to enter a valid Social Security Number for both the student scholarship recipient and the parent/guardian/custodian who will be authorized to deal with any disbursement of the state money.

It is important that the state does not ask any questions regarding immigration status of students or parents/guardians. Excluding anyone not a U.S. citizen or LPR eliminates the need to ask status. There must be a state penalty for adults filing an application with false information and

Update, June 5, 2022: Exclusion language already partially exists:

“Eligible student’ has the same meaning as provided in Code Section 20-3-519.1.” But bill language must carefully list what ID shall be presented  to prove status and all foreigners must present ID every year. See here.

Update: HB 999 & HB 60 died in committee. March 16, 2022: SB 601 failed to see final passage on the senate floor yesterday by a vote of 20-29. More here.

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“School choice!” HB 60 and HB 999 (updated 8 March: and now SB 601) should be amended to contain clear language that defines and limits eligibility and requires submission of the below forms with the application for scholarship consideration.

We urge the adults in the Capitol to limit the Wes Cantrell rushed-up, K-12 “Promise Scholarship” funding to U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders). We aren’t sure there is any There is no other way to insure the public funding doesn’t end up financing private schools for illegal aliens sooner or later.

Update, Feb 26, 2022: Note: I was asked by a senior Rep to send in draft language more than two weeks ago on this. I did. Then the House Republicans went silent on the illegal immigration topic. I did not receive a reply.

A required, universal and dedicated application can and should be drawn up that requires parents/guardians/custodians of applicants for the state scholarship to enter a valid Social Security Number for both the student scholarship recipient and the parent/guardian/custodian who will be authorized to deal with any disbursement of the state money.

Related: More on Rep Cantrell’s HB 60 & HB 999 – his verification system will not work

The application should state that it shall only be accepted for processing if accompanied by a certified copy of the U.S. issued birth certificate or valid, unexpired U.S. passport or a current copy of the USCIS Form I-551 (green card).

Or:

  • Form N-550, Certificate of Naturalization;
  • Form N-560, Certificate of Citizenship;
  • Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of United States Citizen.

We also urge all concerned to take their time, watch Cantrell & Co. carefully and to become acquainted with basic immigration facts. His current “fix” ..isn’t.

We say again: Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than Arizona and more arrive every week.

 

Rep Wes Cantrell’s latest “fix” for HB 999 & HB 60… isn’t

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 The Supreme Court says schools may not ask about immigration status

Rep Wes Cantrell is telling a lot of people that he has solved the problem created in his state-funded K-12 private school scholarship legislation. He hasn’t. He has two bills pending on this, HB 60 & HB 999. While I have not seen the language in the committee substitutes he took through the House Education Committee yesterday, I did watch the hearings online. I am glad I did. It confirmed my opinions of Rep Cantrell from my previous experiences.

Rep Wes Cantrell Republican, Woodstock.

This is Cantrell’s last year in the General Assembly. Note to Republican voters in his district. Please try harder next time?

Cantrell originally dodged the fact that previous versions of his bills (HB 999 & HB 60) contained no mechanism to prevent tax dollars from going to fund a private school education for illegal aliens. He only came up with an unworkable ‘remedy’ after public pressure started.  We expect the same scenario in convincing him that the current “fix”… isn’t.

*Update, Feb. 3, 2022: Current version of HB 60.

We tried to wave Cantrell off of any method of verification of eligibility that involved asking the K-12 student (or parent) about immigration status. It’s amazing that Legislative Counsel in the Capitol didn’t do the same. To repeat: A landmark SCOTUS decision in 1982 (Plyler v Doe) requires states to offer K-12 education regardless of the student’s immigration status. It also prevents legally asking a K-12 student about immigration status – same for the student’s parents. You can read a summary or the syllabus.

As we have written before, Plyer v Doe does not address states paying for a private school education.

Cantrell has a lot of lobbying effort behind his push.

  • Related: Cantrell’s legislation in a Breitbart news report: ‘Georgia Republicans draft legal giveaways to illegals’

While he kept it to himself when he presented his bills to committee members (I am told he did assure the GOP House caucus that he put new verification language in) yesterday, Cantrell says on Twitter that he has added language to insure that before the state of Georgia pays out the $6000 a school year scholarship, both the student and student’s parents (either one or both?) must meet the applicable verification requirements provided for in code section 50-36-1.

Screenshot from Wes Cantrell Twitter feed Feb 2, 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It so happens that I have been working on that code section since 2006. Cantrell’s solution idea will not work. I have an idea that might – but that is for later.

Georgia law in OCGA 50-36-1 sets the procedure for verifying eligibility of applicants for public benefits. In general, it requires applicants to swear they are eligible for a long list of public benefits because of either U.S. citizenship, a lawful permanent resident (“green card” holder) or “a qualified alien or non-immigrant under the Federal Immigration and Nationality Act with an alien number issued by the Department of Homeland Security or other federal immigration agency” on a notarized affidavit.

In addition, the applicant is supposed to provide at least one “secure and verifiable document” to prove status and or identity. Then the office administering the benefit is supposed to run the information gathered through a federal database called “SAVE.”

My point is that even if the process described above is not fulfilled, before a K-12 student or his parent (s) can meet the applicable verification requirements provided in the law Cantrell cites, they must be asked to reveal their immigration status.

But none of this applies to someone under age eighteen. So we all need for Rep Wes Cantrell to explain in detail how the verification system he hid from committee members and the public would work.

As you can see on video from yesterday’s committee meeting, Rep Cantrell wasn’t interested in hearing public comment on his (HB 60) substitute language either. He stopped the chairman in mid-sentence when it was time for public input.

Yes, I know how dry and boring all this is. The alternative to understanding it is tax dollars going to fund a private K-12 school education for illegal aliens. As I said, I don’t know if there is a way to exclude the huge illegal school population from Cantrell’s “Promise Scholarship” but I have an idea.

We repeat: Not one committee member asked Cantrell about illegal immigration in his bill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Republican Rep Wes Cantrell’s proposed new taxpayer-funded scholarship program includes illegal aliens – HB 999

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Photo: Ga. Health News

Note: Feb. 1, 2022: “They” are in hurry up mode. HB 999 passed out of House Education committee today on a voice vote. A very similar bill, HB 60 passed out of full committee today too. Number of committee members who asked about benefits going to illegal aliens? Zero.

* How’s this for speedy service? HB 999 House hopper Jan. 25. Voted out of subcommittee Feb 1 – that’s four session days.  

State payments (grants/cash allowance/state grant or loan) to illegal alien students handled by illegal alien parents with official oversight on compliance by illegal alien parents – what could go wrong?

 Georgia is home to more illegals than Arizona.

 

Erick Erickson. Photo: Wikipedia.

Update again, Jan. 28 2022, 1:30 PM : Erick Erickson just promoted HB 999 on his national radio show. Listen here. I was allowed on the air for 56 seconds and made the point that the bill won’t fly for many people here and he should consider explaining the reality of payments to illegals in his next pitch for the bill. He hung up, but kept on topic for another few minutes. Listen here.

Update: Jan 28, 2022, 7:50 AM : Radio show host Erick Erickson is on WSB Radio during this morning’s drive time news segment promoting HB 999.” Three Democrats on the bill!” “A bipartisian coalition!” “Sponsor is a preacher!” “First time ever in Georgia!” He is also advancing the cause of this “school choice” legislation on his Twitter feed.  Don’t miss it!

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  • Related: Breitbart News has taken note of this and other Georgia bills with a January 30, 2022 news story.

“The Georgia Educational Freedom Act”

HB 999 – as introduced                                                                                        

LC 49 0739 <–

Sponsors: Rep Wes Cantrell (R) of the 22nd, Mike Glanton (D) of the 75th, Angela Moore (D) of the 90th, Heath Clark (R) of the 147th, Patty Bentley (D) of the 139th, Kasey Carpenter (R) of the 4th and others (names of “others” coming soon).

Rep Wes Cantrell, Republican, Woodstock

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 We see no requirement for student recipients or parents to prove legal immigration status. We don’t see mention of any immigration verification system or check.

Note: The 1982 Plyler v Doe SCOTUS decision mandates states to provide K-12 public education regardless of immigration status. It does not address creation of a special or alternative K-12 system or scholarships.

Reminder to all concerned on amendments to this train wreck: Plyler V Doe prohibits even asking K-12 students about immigration status and that restriction applies to the student’s parents.

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Image: Twitter

Executive version at first reading Jan. 27, 2022 1:00 PM (not final analysis):

* Creates state law to provide $6000 per school year “Promise Scholarship” for an alternative to public K-12 school for any student who has a parent, guardian or custodian who lives in Georgia. This would apparently include illegal alien students and/or parents.

* The student must have attended a Georgia public school for six weeks prior to participation in the new taxpayer-funded ‘Promise Scholarship.’ This would apparently include illegal aliens.

* The new “Promise Scholarship” would be funded by the state taxpayers and subject to appropriations. The legislation authorizes the Georgia Student Finance Commission to participate in the new scholarship account program.

* Quarterly payments would be made to an account set up for the student and then parents are designated to handle payment to the alternative schools. This would apparently include illegal aliens.

* A “participating student shall continue to be eligible to receive account funds until the student returns to a public school, graduates from high school, or reaches the age of 20 years, or for special education students, reaches the age of 21 years.” This would apparently include illegal aliens.

* Funds paid shall not constitute taxable income of the parent of the participating student. This would apparently include illegal aliens.

* Establishes an executive director who would appoint a review committee made up of eight parents to monitor compliance in administering the state-provided funds. These review committee parents apparently could be illegal aliens.

* Creates a lottery process governed by chance to award funding to students if either the number of participating students or the number of applications for accounts exceeds the funds available for the new scholarship. This lottery would apparently include illegal aliens.

* “Student information shall be reported and collected in a manner that allows the state to aggregate data by grade level, gender, family income level, and race.” This aggregated data would not include immigration status.

  • Related: More from Republican Reps Wes Cantrell and Kasey Carpenter.

HB 999: Covered “qualified education expenses’ means any one or more of the following:
(A) Tuition, fees, and required textbooks at a participating school;
(B) Tuition, fees, and required textbooks at a community college or accredited postsecondary institution;
(C) Tutoring services provided by an educator certified by the Professional Standards Commission;
(D) Payment for the purchase of a curriculum, including any supplemental materials required by the curriculum;
(E) Tuition and fees for a nonpublic online learning program or course;
(F) Services from a physician or therapist licensed pursuant to Chapter 10A, 28, 33, 34, or 44 of Title 43, including, but not limited to, for occupational, behavioral, physical, or speech-language therapies;
(G) No more than $500.00 per year to a fee-for-service transportation provider for transportation to or from a participating school or service provider;
(H) Fees for the management of account funds in accordance with subsection (e) of Code Section 20-2B-7; or
(I) Computer hardware or other technological devices approved by the commission or a physician if the computer hardware or other technological device is used to meet the student’s educational needs.”

 

 

 

GEORGIA IMMIGRATION-RELATED LEGISLATION, 2022

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–> Update: January 31, 2022 Breitbart has pick up the story on the below bills and our work here in Georgia. We hope you read it!

Update: August 28, 2022 This will be an issue next session, say the corporate-funded lobbyists, here.

GEORGIA IMMIGRATION-RELATED LEGISLATION, 2022

* Added April 7, 2022: We stopped a committee hearing and a floor vote on this gem:

SR 376

Cause of death? It’s an election year and we know too much.

SR 376 was designed to create a special senate “study committee” to begin the process of creating legislation for next year to “relax” current state laws on verifying legal immigration status before issuing occupational and professional licenses. It came from the same people and had the same agenda as this Dog and Pony show in the House from last year.

Senate Resolution 376
By: Senators Thompson of the 14th, Brass of the 28th, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Cowsert of the 46th, Summers of the 13th and others

A RESOLUTION

Creating the Senate Occupational Licensing Study Committee; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the Georgia General Assembly strives to foster a robust workforce and thriving business environment in this state; and

WHEREAS, onerous occupational licensing requirements can inhibit economic mobility,  limit job prospects, and hinder small businesses; and  WHEREAS, research has shown that Georgia has some of the country’s most burdensome  occupational licensing laws; and

WHEREAS, it is in the state’s best interests to examine its current occupational licensing  laws and requirements to determine if they should be modified or restructured so as to  encourage, promote, and foster employment and healthy business growth in this state; an

WHEREAS, it is important to review how other states have responsibly reformed  occupational licensing to streamline processes, reduce barriers to work, and eliminate  unnecessary rules and regulations to determine if Georgia could benefit from similar reforms.

SB 601

Update: Noon, March 16, 2022: SB 601 failed to see final passage on the senate floor yesterday by a vote of 20-29. It’s dead. More here.

Essentially a rerun of HB 999/HB 60. This one has incomplete and unworkable language intended to present the idea that it excludes illegal aliens. This legislation was dropped on Thursday, March 3 assigned a committee on Friday March 4 and scheduled to be heard in committee Monday, March 7 at 8:00 AM.

Breitbart story here.

The bill was not heard on Monday, but was passed out in a one-hour, 9:00 AM meeting on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 with a 6-4 vote. No public comment was allowed. Much more here.

The Dustin Inman Society opposes SB 601

HB 60   FEB 23, 2020 – Happy dance! HB 60 is as dead as Pancho Villa.  Very close to HB 999 below, also from Rep. Wes Cantrell. 

HB 999  FEB 23, 2020 – Happy dance! HB 999 is as dead as Pancho Villa. 

HB 999 would create a state funded alternative K-12 school system for all student who have spent six weeks in a public school and have a parent, guardian or custodian living in Georgia. A new “Promise Scholarship” payment of $6000 per school year would be sent from state coffers directly to an account set up for the student. Parents/guardians/custodians would be in charge of distributing the funds. A committee made up of parents would be appointed to oversee compliance with the state’s scholarship laws. The bill is being sold as “school choice” and is gaining support. Radio personality Erick Erickson is pitching it on his national radio show. Nothing in the language of the legislation as presented mentions or deals with the fact that Georgia’s public schools are packed with illegal aliens who also have illegal alien parents. The scenario if passed as introduced would be that the state of Georgia sends money directly to the account of an illegal aliens child, an illegal alien parent has authority to disburse those funds and could easily be appointed to be a member of the oversight committee.Read more here.

K-12 private school scholarship should be limited to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents HB 999 HB 60.    Here is the fix 

The Dustin Inman Society opposes HB 999.

 * HB 120 Update: March 16, 2022: HB 120 is deceased. – would give illegal alien college students living in Georgia with a deferral on deportation in Obama’s DACA program the much lower instate tuition rate in the state’s university system. Americans and legal immigrants from other states who attend the same schools are not eligible for that lower rate.

  • Related: For academic year 2020-2021, the average tuition & fees for colleges in Georgia was $4,739 for instate and $17,008 for out-of-state according to experts at collegetuition.com.

Last year a federal judge ruled the DACA program to be unlawful. The 11th circuit appellate court ruled in 2019 that illegal aliens with DACA are still illegal aliens. They do not have legal status and are removable at any time. The Georgia Attorney General’s office takes a similar position. There are about 20K DACA recipients in GA.

Republican Rep. Kasey Carpenter introduced HB 120 in 2021. It puts DACA illegal aliens in front of Americans and legal immigrants. We regard that as un-American. The instate tuition for illegals concept is publicly pushed by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce because it would lower wages for Americans and raise corporate profits.

The Dustin Inman Society opposes HB120.

* HB 932  Update: HB 932 was denied a vote in the House Higher Ed committee and is dead for the year. It is possible for a Kamikaze legislator to try to attach it to a live bill. We hope so. That would be fun…

would allow refugees, foreigners here on Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) and Afghans on “humanitarian parole” to be excluded from the current state law and BOR policy that says newly arrived college students must be GA residents for 12 months before they can access the much lower instate tuition rate in Georgia’s public colleges and tech schools. (The Special Immigrant Visa grants permanent residence to foreign nationals who claim to have helped the U.S. government abroad).

HB 932 does not cover Americans and immigrants outside the above description who move to Georgia from other states– they would still be required to pay the higher tuition rate for public colleges/tech schools for the first year of their residence. HB 932 is sponsored by Republican Rep Wes Cantrell and has Democrat cosponsors. We regard HB 932 as un-American.

The Dustin Inman Society opposes HB 932.

 * HB 228  HB 228 is dead for the year. The GOP Establishment killed it. (Republican Rep Charlice Byrd) addresses the fact that Georgia issues drivers licenses and ID Cards to foreigners but has no law that excludes these credentials from acceptance as “proper identification” for voting purposes. The bill fixes that loophole and adds the wording “BEARER NOT U.S. CITIZEN-NOT VOTER ID” to the front of the non-citizen drivers licenses and ID Cards. It also requires DDS to change the first two characters of the serial number of these credentials to “NC” to reflect non-U.S. citizen status for mail-in vote security. We regard this bill to be a commonsense fix to a needless gap in election integrity.

The Dustin Inman supports HB 228.

 More information is easily accessed at ImmigrationPoliticsGA.com and NewDustinInmanSociety.org.        

 

Coca Cola-funded anti-enforcement GALEO goes all “show us your papers” for community organizer classes

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Photo: DIS

 

The corporate-funded Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) conducts organizer training every year to increase the number of far-left anti-borders activist in Georgia. They call their classes the ‘GALEO Institute for Leadership’ (GIL).

A recent email soliciting student trainees includes the requirement that applicants not only foot the $200 cost, but be “fully vacinated”- what ever that means today. Presumably, the totalitarians who run this outfit will demand documentation of the”fully vaccinated” status.  And the trainees must also wear a mask.

Photo: Twitter/Google.

Here is a blurb from the online application in the GALEO email from last week:

“2022 GIL Application

*Program will be hybrid. (Subject to change due to the pandemic)

Eligibility: Open to adults (18+) that live in the State of Georgia and are committed to being leaders in their community. Diverse participants are encouraged to apply!

Note:  Only fully vaccinated will be allowed to participate in the program.”

Way too funny.

Related: A bit of history on GALEO boss Jerry Gonzalez.

 

 

 

What Happens When the State Department Sanctions Nations for Not Taking Our Deportees?

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Center for Immigration Studies
By David North on January 13, 2022

Some recalcitrant nations are deliberately slow to accept our deportees and other forced returns of migrants from those nations, as my colleague Dan Cadman reported a couple of years ago. They do so because they do not want these citizens of their countries to bring their behaviors back to the homeland. Most democracies, including the U.S., readily accept similar rejects from other lands.

Eleven nations have received sanctions for that behavior. What happens to the outward flow from the U.S. of removed migrants from those places? It’s a mixed bag.

In four (in bold below) of the 11 cases, we have what look like success stories; in three of those four, the number of removals has more than doubled since sanctions were imposed, and in a fourth, the ratio was almost 2:1.

In three others it is too soon to tell and in the other four there was little change or, in the case of Burma, a move in the wrong direction.

Our statistics, all drawn from previously under-utilized government files on the subject, are shown below… read the rest here.

The inside story on immigration related legislation under the Gold Dome

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Rep Kasey Carpenter (R–Dalton) is determined enough to pass his legislation granting special, reduced public college tuition rates to illegal aliens with DACA living in Georgia that he attacked his own county Republican party from the floor of the House Chamber last year (video).

Conservative voters should share his level of interest – and remember the DACA scheme is illegal.

Rep Casey Carpenter Photo: GA General Assembly

We offer a review of Carpenter’s bill (HB 120) and another immigration related Gold Dome measure that may escape coverage in “the news.”

HB 120 – “Equity” in public college tuition rates for illegal aliens 

As we explained in November, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce has joined the Mark Zuckerburg-founded, pro-amnesty (Build Back Better!) FWD.us lobbying enterprise in advocating for illegal alien Georgia residents with a DACA deferral on deportation to receive lower tuition rates than Americans and legal immigrants from other states. Carpenter’s bill would change state law so that could happen.

Another active backer is Jaime Rangel, an illegal alien with DACA who lobbies for FWD.us in the state Capitol.

Georgia Senate president Pro Tem and candidate for Lt. Governor, Sen. Butch Miller (R- Gainesville), also supports the tuition amnesty concept according to a January 7, 2022 news report in the Gainesville Times.

As Carpenter’s experience with his county GOP illustrates, the idea is wildly unpopular with Republican voters.

With more Democrat cosponsors than Republicans, HB 120 advanced out of the GOP-controlled House Higher Education Committee last March. The vote record is quite interesting – Rep Calvin Smyre (D, Columbus), “Dean of the General Assembly” voted “present.”

The bill must start the committee process over again this year to make it to a vote in the full House.

  • Related: Republican state Rep Wes Cantrell to introduce bill to remove one-year wait for refugees (but not for Americans) to access instate tuition 

It helps to know that for academic year 2020-2021, the average tuition & fees for colleges in Georgia was $4,739 for instate and $17,008 for out-of-state according to experts at collegetuition.com. In Carpenter’s bill an American from Michigan (for example) would pay the higher rate while a covered illegal alien living in Georgia would pay no more than an additional 10% of the instate rate. This is apparently the new “equity.”

It’s not too early to ask every candidate for governor if they would sign such a bill into law.

HB 228 – Closing a needless loophole on non-citizen ID in election law 

 The drivers licenses and official ID Cards that Georgia issues to foreign nationals are almost exactly like the ones commonly given to U.S. citizens. The difference between the ID credentials for citizens and non-citizens – like guest workers, green card holders, foreign students, DACA recipients (yes, DACA recipients ) – is that the non-citizens get a card with the words “LIMITED – TERM,” printed across the top.

Drivers license issued to non-citizens in Georgia, including illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation. Photo: DDS.

As state Rep Charlice Byrd wrote for Insider Advantage GA in October (Secure Non-Citizens ID Now – Before New Elections), she has sponsored a “no brainer” bill (HB 228) to change the fact that there is nothing in state law that specifically excludes the non-U.S. citizen ID credentials from consideration as “proper identification” for voter ID purposes.

Last year the most strident Capitol opponent of Rep. Byrd’s legislation was Republican Rep. Bonnie Rich (Suwanee).  As a sub-committee Chair in the House Special Committee on Election Integrity she refused to grant Byrd a hearing on the bill. The Chairman of the full committee, Rep. Barry Fleming, was a hero to voter security advocates when he decided to preside over an abbreviated hearing for HB 228 himself.

State Rep. Charlice Byrd

That hearing illustrated a remarkable lack of knowledge on the part of committee members and the General Counsel at the Secretary of State’s office. There was no vote.

The heated objections to Byrd’s bill from Rich were that it was unnecessary because “non-citizens cannot register to vote” – so there is no need to add wording to state law making foreigner’s drivers license or ID Card ID ineligible as voter ID. Rich’s belief is contradicted by NPR, the Associated Press and reports from Michigan on the Motor Voter registration process also used in Georgia.

We doubt it will change Rep Rich’s mind or attitude, but voters need to know that last year a woman who is not a U.S. citizen was fined for voting illegally in Georgia in 2012 and 2016 according to the liberal AJC last week.

Byrd’s bill requires the warning “BEARER NOT U.S. CITIZEN – NOT VOTER ID” to be added to the front of the LIMITED TERM credentials. Also, as mail-in vote security, the Department of Driver Services would begin a system in which the first two characters of the drivers license/ID Card numbers be “NC” on the cards issued to non-citizens. We would catch up with Alabama on that one.

Republican GA state Rep Bonnie Rich. Photo: GA General Assembly website.

Taking a cue from the illegal alien lobby, Rep. Rich has informed curious constituents that the added wording to the ID credentials given to foreigners in Georgia is unreasonable and would be a modern day “scarlet letter.”

Recent developments

* Rep Byrd has been advised to meet with the Speaker David Ralston and Gov. Brian Kemp before she could expect a committee vote on her election ID safeguard legislation.

* Companion language to HB 228 is reportedly coming up in the Senate.

* HB 228 – current version here.

An independent voter, D.A. King is president of the Dustin Inman Society and proprietor of ImmigrationPoliticsGA.com

A version of this column was originally posted on the subscription news and opinion outlet Insider Advantage Georgia, Jan. 14, 2022.