Dear Educators and Advocates:
House Bill 59 – would prohibit undocumented immigrants from attending ANY institution of higher education (all colleges and universities) in the University System of Georgia (USG), regardless of their academic qualifications.
In 2011, this same bill passed out of the House of Representatives Higher Education Committee but did not come up for vote in the full House. The bill was reintroduced in the House this year and is currently being reviewed by the Higher Education Committee, who are expected to vote on it next Tuesday, January 31st. Therefore, it is URGENT that we contact the members of this committee and plead with them to oppose the HB 59 NOW.
Last year, the committee vote went straight down party lines: Democrats voted against it; Republicans voted for it. However, here seemed to be a general lack of information in the committee. Moreover, most Democrats were fairly passive in the hearing, not asking many questions or aggressively challenging the bill’s supporters.
Strategy:
1) Contact all members of the Higher Ed Committee and URGE THEM TO VOTE NO on HB 59. Face-to-face meetings and phone calls are most effective. Emails are also good. If one of the committee members happens to be your Rep, target him/her. **Contact info below.
Provide Democrats, who are more likely to oppose HB 59, with support, encouragement, and talking points. This is ESPECIALLY important if one of the members is your Rep; He or she can then have the satisfaction of acting on behalf of his/her constituents.
Let the Republican Reps know that you adamantly oppose HB 59. Give them the reasons you oppose the bill (use Talking Points below if needed). Urge them to vote NO. If you don’t have time to contact all members, target these: Carl Rogers (Chairman of the Committee); Amy Carter (Secretary and an educator); Katie Dempsey (Vice Chair); David Knight; Tony McBrayer; and Chuck Sims.
Talking Points (please adapt, using your own words, or use your own):
- 1. All of society is advanced when its residents are educated. Always.
- 2. The educated are MUCH less likely to commit crimes. (98% of inmates do not have a college education according to the GA Dept. of Corrections.) Therefore, Georgia is safer with an educated population.
- 3. Georgia citizens do NOT subsidize the cost of higher ed for undocumented immigrants, who are required by Board of Regents (BOR) policy to pay out-of-state tuition (3-4 times the cost of in-state tuition). In fact, colleges and universities make a profit on undocumented students.
- 4. The BOR has already implemented policy that prohibit undocumented students from attending the five schools in the USG which at times deny admissions to academically qualified students (University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Georgia College & State University and the Medical College of Georgia). This effectively ensures that no undocumented student can take a seat from a legal resident.
- 5. Undocumented children immigrated involuntarily to the United States and are blameless for their status. These are children who have faced challenges most of us can’t even image. They have worked hard to adapt and assimilate to our culture and to learn our language. It is un-American and unethical to deny them the right to continue their education.
- 6. Banning access to education is a violation of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights - "Higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit."
2) Attend the ACLU of Georgia “By the People” Immigrants’ Rights Lobby Day on Tuesday 1/31 at 9:00 am at the Capitol. (Flyer attached)
3) Attend the House Higher Education Committee Hearing on HB 59, which is currently scheduled for Tuesday, 1/31 at 3:00 pm at the Capitol. (Room number TBA.) You may sign up to give testimony at this hearing when you arrive.
Let me know if you have any questions and thank you for your action!
Tonna Harris-Bosselmann
**House of Representatives Higher Education Committee Members
Rogers, Carl - Chairman
R - Gainesville
District 26
Occupation - Insurance Agent
carl.rogers@house.ga.gov
404.656.5146 – Office (Capitol); 770.535.0994 (Gainesville)
Dempsey, Katie M. - Vice Chairman
R - Rome
District 13
Occupation - Volunteer
katie.dempsey@house.ga.gov
404.656.0213 - Office
Carter, Amy - Secretary
R - Valdosta
District 175
Occupation - Teacher
amy.carter@house.ga.gov
404.651.7737 – Office (Capitol); 229.245.2733 (Valdosta)
Allison, Stephen - Member
R - Blairsville
District 8
Occupation - Attorney
stephen.allison@house.ga.gov
404.656.0188 – Office (Capitol); 706.781.3929 (Blairsville)
Amerson, Amos - Member
R - Dahlonega
District 9
Occupation - Retired; Army Lt. Col.; University Professor
amos.amerson@house.ga.gov
404.657.8443 - Office
Ashe, Kathy - Member
D - Atlanta
District 56
Occupation - Community Volunteer
kathyashe56@mindspring.com
404.656.0116 – Office (Capitol); 404.875.9467 – Office (Atlanta)
Ehrhart, Earl – Member
R - Powder Springs
District 36
Occupation - Businessman
earl@ehrhart.4emm.com
404.463.2247 – Office (Capitol); 770.437.7536 – Office (Powder Springs)
Fullerton, Carol - Member
D - Albany
District 151
Occupation - Consultant
carol.fullerton@house.ga.gov
404.656.0127 - Office
Gardner, Pat - Member
D - Atlanta
District 57
pat@patgardner.org
Occupation - Association Executive
404.656.0265 - Office
Harden, Michael - Member
R - Toccoa
Occupation - Business Owner
District 28
michael@voteharden.com
404.656.0188 - Office
Hatfield, Mark - Member
R - Waycross
District 177
mhatfield@wayxcable.com
Occupation - Attorney
404.656.0109 – Office (Capitol); 912.283.3820 (Waycross)
Hembree, Bill - Member
R - Winston
District 67
bill.hembree@house.ga.gov
Occupation - Insurance Agent
404.656.6801 - Office
Knight, David - Member
R - Griffin
District 126
david.knight@house.ga.gov
Occupation - Certified Public Accountant
404.656.7855 – Office (Capitol); 678.464.4926 (Griffin)
Long, Ralph - Member
D - Atlanta
District 61
ralph@ralphlong.name
Occupation - Real Estate Broker
404.656.0325 - Office
McBrayer, Tony - Member
R - Tifton
District 153
tony.mcbrayer@house.ga.gov
Occupation - Small Business Owner
404.656.0126 - Office
Murphy, Quincy - Member
D - Augusta
District 120
quincy.murphy@house.ga.gov
Occupation - Insurance and Financial Services
404.656.0265 – Office (Capitol); 706.790.4600 (Augusta)
Sims, Chuck - Member
R - Ambrose
District 169
chuck.sims@house.ga.gov
Occupation - Funeral Director
404.656.7855 – Office (Capitol); 912.384.1234 (Ambrose)
Smyre, Calvin - Member
D - Columbus
District 132
calvinsmyre@synovus.com
Occupation - Banker
404.656.0116 – Office (Capitol); 706.649.2243 (Columbus)
Watson, Ben - Member
R - Savannah
District 163 ben.watson@house.ga.gov
Occupation - Medical Doctor
404.656.0109 - Office
Williams, Chuck - Member
R - Watkinsville
District 113
chuck.williams@house.ga.gov
Occupation - Tree Farmer
404.656.0254 - Office
HB59 TEXT - http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108346.pdf
HB59 authors: (1) Rice, Tom 51st(2) Harrell, Brett 106th(3) Walker, Len 107th
(4) Ehrhart, Earl 36th(5) Bearden, Timothy 68th(6) Ramsey, Matt 72nd
Link to House Higher Ed Committee:
http://www.house.ga.gov/Committees/en-US/committee.aspx?Committee=100&Session=21
