EASE STATE LICENSE RENEWALS REQUIREMENTS FOR US CITIZENS
Sec. Brian Kemp & Rep. Dusty Hightower
In 2011, when the Georgia Legislature enacted HB 87, its stiff state immigration law, there were several serious unintended consequences. One of the most serious was a "massive backlog in licensing renewals for thousands of insurance agencies, salesmen, counselors and others in the industry." The law requires people applying for public benefits — such as professional licenses, grants and loans — to submit a “secure and verifiable” form of identification. That identification could include a state-issued driver’s license or passport. State legislators approved the law with the intent of blocking illegal immigrants from getting public benefits.
But the law is forcing the Georgia government to inspect ALL forms of secure identification applicants submit online and by email and fax, a laborious and time-consuming effort. Currently, every ID must be manually inspected every time a professional license is requested or renewed. This has been bogging down the process the Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s Office uses to issue licenses to thousands of nurses, cosmetologists and many other professionals across the state. County officials also have complained the law is creating red tape and causing delays. This has had a serious impact on the AAPI communities in Georgia, who are highly represented, among others, in the medical, nursing, accounting, and cosmetology fields.
Sec. Kemp and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia are urging state lawmakers to amend the law during the 2013 legislative session. Jerry Duke, executive vice president of the Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia Inc., said he would support such a change. “We knew that it was going to be a slow process, just being the first year and everybody having to do it for the first time,” said Duke, whose organization represents thousands of agents in the state. “I actually visited with the department today, and I think they are coming along and catching up.”
House Bill 32, recently filed by Rep. Dusty Hightower (R-Carrollton) on behalf of Sec. Kemp, would try to fix the backlog. Kemp has said his office is weeks behind processing nearly a half-million applications it grants or renews annually for license applicants — everyone from accountants to barbers to plumbers. The cause is an unintended consequence of the immigration law requiring people to show certain forms of identification before they can get public benefits, including professional licenses.
The Bill would require applicants to submit proof of citizenship only once, and is supported by the National Federation of Independent Business. A similar measure was attempted last year, but failed when it became wrapped into legislation that would have barred all undocumented students from public universities.
Compiled from the following news sources:
ID Requirement Bogs Down Insurance Licensing Renewals, Dec. 28, 2012, The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Bill Filed to Fix Professional License Backlog, Jan. 3, 2013, The Atlanta Journal Constitution
But the law is forcing the Georgia government to inspect ALL forms of secure identification applicants submit online and by email and fax, a laborious and time-consuming effort. Currently, every ID must be manually inspected every time a professional license is requested or renewed. This has been bogging down the process the Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s Office uses to issue licenses to thousands of nurses, cosmetologists and many other professionals across the state. County officials also have complained the law is creating red tape and causing delays. This has had a serious impact on the AAPI communities in Georgia, who are highly represented, among others, in the medical, nursing, accounting, and cosmetology fields.
Sec. Kemp and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia are urging state lawmakers to amend the law during the 2013 legislative session. Jerry Duke, executive vice president of the Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia Inc., said he would support such a change. “We knew that it was going to be a slow process, just being the first year and everybody having to do it for the first time,” said Duke, whose organization represents thousands of agents in the state. “I actually visited with the department today, and I think they are coming along and catching up.”
House Bill 32, recently filed by Rep. Dusty Hightower (R-Carrollton) on behalf of Sec. Kemp, would try to fix the backlog. Kemp has said his office is weeks behind processing nearly a half-million applications it grants or renews annually for license applicants — everyone from accountants to barbers to plumbers. The cause is an unintended consequence of the immigration law requiring people to show certain forms of identification before they can get public benefits, including professional licenses.
The Bill would require applicants to submit proof of citizenship only once, and is supported by the National Federation of Independent Business. A similar measure was attempted last year, but failed when it became wrapped into legislation that would have barred all undocumented students from public universities.
Compiled from the following news sources:
ID Requirement Bogs Down Insurance Licensing Renewals, Dec. 28, 2012, The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Bill Filed to Fix Professional License Backlog, Jan. 3, 2013, The Atlanta Journal Constitution