The sponsor of a bill that would bar illegal immigrants from attending Georgia's public colleges said he supports an amendment striking that provision from Senate Bill 458.
Sen. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, said the college ban "was stalling the bill" in the House and threatened to thwart other aspects of the measure.
"It wasn't worth jeopardizing the entire bill," he said.
Provisions still in the bill would tweak last year's sweeping illegal immigration law, House Bill 87. Parts of that law are being reviewed by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The changes outlined in SB 458 would address several areas, including requirements to receive public benefits and defining acceptable forms of identification.
The Senate passed the version of the bill that included the college ban. The amendment was added in the House after Loudermilk told leaders he supported removing the college provision if that meant the bill would get a vote. The House is scheduled to vote on the amended bill Thursday, the last day of the session. If the House approves the bill, it would then return to the Senate for final passage before moving on to Gov. Nathan Deal.
Deal and other leaders previously said they were reluctant to change HB 87 because parts of the law have been in effect for only a matter of months. Loudermilk said the tweaks in his bill would not water down the law but would correct some of the unintended effects.
Loudermilk said the bill would streamline the process by which those seeking public benefits must provide a “secure and verifiable” document to prove they are lawfully in the country.
There had been concern this process would cause extra work for staff who must review the documents, so the bill says applicants may submit the material any time within the nine months before the application deadline, provided the documents will be valid throughout the benefit’s duration. Also, U.S. citizens won’t need to resubmit documents every time they seek renewal of a benefit through the same agency.
Supporters of the college ban said it would guarantee that taxpayer-supported colleges only serve citizens and those who are in the country lawfully.
University System Chancellor Hank Huckaby and others opposed the ban, saying they had already taken steps to make sure illegal immigrants don’t take college spots away from citizens. Illegal immigrants are barred from attending any state campus that had to turn away academically qualified students. The policy applies to the state's five most competitive colleges, including the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. Illegal immigrants may attend the system's other 30 colleges provided they pay out-of-state tuition.
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