The Senate heard a bill Friday that requires the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to post and share information about undocumented immigrants who have committed felonies.
While this is already collected by the agency, House Bill 452 would create a public database that would include personally identifying information such as an individual’s home address.
"What's not happening without this bill is letting local communities know about these people who are here illegally and have done violent things to our citizens," said Hunter Hill, R-Smyrna, who is carrying the bill in the Senate.
The bill, however, did not go unchanged on the floor.
Majority Leader Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, used the bill as an opportunity to make a second attempt at creating a separate agency for a state Department of Homeland Security. The language was originally included in Senate Bill 1, but a House committee last week took it out. Cowsert said the effort is in line with the bill's objective of increasing public safety.
If approved, the measure would separate the agency that’s currently combined with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
“We’re not talking about increasing size of government. We’re delineating a separate board of homeland security,” Cowsert said.
The amendment was approved, sending the House bill back to the powerful Senate Rules Committee. That committee will decide next week whether it gets another vote before the legislative session ends Thursday.
Emanuel Jones, D-Ellenwood, tried unsuccessfully to include a separate amendment which would have struck the words "who are aliens" from the provisions of the database, thus expanding the public notice for all felons.
He, and other Senate Democrats, said the bill, sponsored by Jesse Petrea, R-Savannah, targets individuals based on national origin and ethnicity.
"It's sending an anti-immigrant message that we are vengeful and xenophobic," said Elena Parent, D-Atlanta.
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