It is widely under-reported about what happened to Senate Bill 6 by Sen. Joshua McKoon, R-Columbus, at the end of the 2015 General Assembly. The legislation sought to bar Georgia’s sizeable illegal immigrant population from obtaining driver’s licenses. Last week one national media outlet, Breitbart News, posted a fascinating story on the bill’s demise. Check out http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/07/georgia-senate-votes-down-ban-on-drivers-licenses-for-illegals-despite-gop-supermajority/
What transpired is that, near the end of the session, the GOP-controlled Senate defeated a floor amendment by McKoon that would have prevented illegal aliens granted deferred status under President Barack Obama’s executive actions from getting the licenses. The vote was taken by a hand vote and not recorded on the Senate’s website. However, one is able to get the vote count by checking the video of the vote. That’s how Breitbart News originally got the story.
McKoon and a dozen co-sponsors wanted to ensure that only legal immigrants — not including amnestied illegal immigrants — would be the only non-citizens who could obtain a state driver’s license. Yet his S.B. 6 was referred to the Committee on Public Safety in January and left to gather dust by the hostile chairman, Sen. Tyler Harper, R-Ocilla. A hearing on the bill wasn’t even allowed. To get around that obstacle is the reason why McKoon sprang his last-minute floor amendment. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, during the debate the author argued that illegal immigrants are costing the Peach State $2.4 billion annually by using taxpayer-paid benefits and institutions. He was quoted as saying that, regardless of Obama’s executive actions, illegal aliens are in the county unlawfully and shouldn’t be eligible for a driver’s license.
Gallery observers interviewed by InsiderAdvantage said that apparently only four senators raised their hand to ask for a recorded machine count vote on the McKoon amendment. Five raised hands are required by Senate rules. Even most of the Republican co-sponsors didn’t opt to “show their hands” for a machine counted, recorded vote on what was essentially the original S.B. 6.
Undaunted by the setback, McKoon says he’ll back with the legislation in January 2016.
