Georgia General Assembly to “tweak” HB 87 immigration law requirements?

File under “Unintended Consequences, Rule of”.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp, county officials and now state legislators are pushing to relax a key part of Georgia’s immigration law, complaining it is too burdensome for businesspeople and government agencies.

Kemp said that identification requirement is bogging down the process his office uses to issue licenses to nurses, cosmetologists and many other professionals across the state. County officials have also complained the law is creating red tape and causing delays.

State Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, confirmed this week he is also working on legislation to tweak the identification requirement for license renewals, though he was not prepared to discuss specifics.

“It slows down government and also small business,” he said. “We would like to get by that.”

State Rep. Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City, who crafted the immigration legislation, did not respond to requests for comment this week. But he has previously said he suspects there will be broad support in the Legislature to relax the identification requirements for license renewals.