Two Good Bills that Did NOT Pass
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 8, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
On the first day of the first legislative session after their election to the General Assembly, senators and representatives swear an oath to uphold the laws and constitutions of Georgia and the United States. That’s why some of their actions are so startling. You’d think some bills would be important enough to sail through the system and become law immediately. But in many cases that does not happen.
Consider the treatment of S.B. 6, which is a classic example of a much-needed bill to protect the law. Senator Josh McKoon introduced S.B. 6 on January 28th, and it went to the Senate Public Safety Committee, chaired by Senator Tyler Harper, who decided it would not be heard in his committee. The fact is: Senate Rules allow committee chairmen to decide which bills to handle and which to set aside. So, Senator Harper has a right to keep S.B. 6 in committee, but by doing so, he may be violating his oath of office, since S.B. 6 would prohibit the issuance of driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Also, there’s another angle to consider.
Because he refuses to honor S.B. 6, the senator has bowed to the 2012 unlawful presidential order that deferred deportation for anyone under age 31, if they entered this country illegally before their 16th birthday. Adding federal action to the Georgia situation, simply, builds upon unlawful acts surrounding driver’s licenses and illegal aliens. So, count the illegalities. 1. They entered the country illegally; 2. They received amnesty without congressional authority, 3. They got Georgia driver’s licenses, despite their illegal status; and 4. S.B. 6 was kept in committee because the chairman does not want illegals to go to jail for driving without a license.A double negative makes a positive, but there’s no legal positive about these four negatives. They, simply, reveal a huge top-down departure from observing the law and the constitution.
Another example of oath-breaking is the treatment of Representative Dustin Hightower’s H.B. 171 that, simply, prohibits the use of foreign law in Georgia courts. The House Judiciary committee held a hearing for it, but didn’t vote, and it was left in committee for 2016. I guess protecting the integrity of Georgia law is too much for this crop of legislators. Maybe they’ll do better next year. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.