Sonny did…now we can… OVERRIDE SONNY’S VETO OF SB 15!

The Florida Times-Union
June 1, 2007

Vetoes irk immigrant activists

By Vicky Eckenrode,
The Times-Union

A day after Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed more than 40 legislative bills, two of his strikes prompted strong reaction from activists on both sides of Georgia’s illegal immigration debate. ————————————————–

Perdue disagreed with Senate Bills 15 and 100, citing technical problems with certain provisions in the measures that dealt with increasing penalties for driving without Georgia licenses and making fake documents.

Anti-illegal immigration groups said they were disappointed.

“I was astonished the governor vetoed this,” said D.A. King, president of the Dustin Inman Society, a Marietta-based anti-illegal immigration group. “I honestly thought this never would have happened.”

King lobbied heavily for last year’s Senate Bill 529, a sweeping reform aimed at illegal immigrants by denying many state tax-funded benefits and increasing rules on checking the legal status of workers.

That bill, signed by Perdue last year, takes effect July 1.

This year’s measures were much smaller in scope but prompted complaints from immigrant-rights advocates that lawmakers were continuing attacks on illegal residents in Georgia.

SB 15 would have upped the penalties for anyone driving without a valid license, with the first offense counting as a misdemeanor charge punishable by up to 12 days in jail and a fine between $500 and $1,000. Four convictions could be considered a felony.

The bill also would have required authorities to check the nationality of anyone driving without a license or jailed for driving under the influence.

Perdue said he vetoed the bill because it could punish drivers who moved to the state but did not get a Georgia license within 30 days as required. Though judges would have leeway to suspend jail time in those cases, Perdue said he still had a problem with them having to be booked and fingerprinted.

King said he planned to push lawmakers next year to override Perdue’s veto.

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