Georgia Senate Passes Immigration Bill

An effort to require many private businesses to verify the immigration status of their workers won a crucial vote in the Georgia Senate recently, setting up a showdown with the House over citizenship checks. This is a trend to watch, as it can impact landscape maintenance companies who hire immigrants, exposing companies to legal ramifications.

Launching more than four hours of debate, SB 40's sponsor, Sen. Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, said the choice for his colleagues was simple.

''The question is, simply, do you want immigration reform or not?'' he asked.

Murphy's bill would require many private businesses to use E-Verify to confirm their newly hired employees are eligible to work in the United States. But unlike the House bill, the Senate legislation includes exemptions for farmers and other employers who hire migrant workers through a federal guest worker program.

Under HB 87, certain employers that fail to use E-Verify would be blocked from getting official licenses, certificates and other documents they need to do business in Georgia. The Senate bill includes no such provision.

Both bills, meanwhile, would authorize police to question suspects about their legal status under certain circumstances. But unlike SB 40, HB 87 would punish certain people who knowingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants here, and it would penalize people who ''willfully and fraudulently'' use fake identification to get a job in Georgia.