Georgia and local officials would be barred from aiding the U.S. military in detaining people without trial under a bill Republican state lawmakers filed this month.
A controversial section of fiscal year 2012's National Defense Authorization Act is at issue in House Bill 74, sponsored by state Rep. Scot Turner of Holly Springs.
That section says the U.S. military can detain certain people without trial, including people who participated in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. It also applies to people who have substantially supported the Taliban, al-Qaeda or “associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.”
Turner said that language is “so poorly written it could be for anything they want.” HB 74 would prohibit state and local officials from aiding the U.S. troops under this provision if doing so would violate the Georgia and federal constitutions. Turner could not identify any examples of this happening in Georgia, calling his bill a “preventative measure.”
"The goal and aim of the bill is to protect due process rights for Georgians," said Turner, who based his legislation on a bill Michigan enacted in 2013.
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