Georgia House Bill On Immigration Stalls In Committee

ATLANTA (AP) - A Georgia House bill intended to fix unintended consequences of a 2011 crackdown on illegal immigration appears to have stalled in a Senate committee.

The bill sponsored by Rep. Dustin Hightower was on the agenda Wednesday for the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil committee. But chairman Sen. Jesse Stone declined to bring it up, instead holding a committee vote on an amended version of a Senate bill. The bills have similarities, but the Senate version is more limited.

Both bills aim to address complaints from several state agencies that the 2011 law created extra work and delays processing public benefits, including professional licenses.

Members of the committee said the House and Senate bills would likely end up in a conference committee to sort out the differences.