James May-June 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 82
would have been a critical step in
not only reducing the burdens in
Georgia’s code, but in changing the
process by which regulations are
enacted to better ensure their necessity and that they do not impose
unnecessary costs. It and similar
regulatory reform efforts seek to
reverse the inertia with which regulatory burdens grow by requiring the
agencies that enforce them to justify
the creation and continued existence
of regulations.”
“SB 28 would require all state
agencies to perform top-to-bottom reviews of their regulations every four
years and to account for the economic impact of their proposed rules,” he
continues. “For proposed rules that
agencies anticipate will cost over $3
million in cumulative implementation and compliance costs, agencies
would need to provide economic
impact analysis reports to the General Assembly. Rules estimated to
have a large economic impact would
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require ratification by the General
Assembly before going into effect.”
This regulatory reform bill follows aspects of laws that have been
successfully implemented in other
states. Many proponents say that
it’s past time for Georgia to catch
up with them in order to make state
government more efficient.
New immigration law enforcement effort
Open border and immigration
law enforcement remain a hot-button political and legislative topic
at the federal level, but also at the
state level. That’s why state Rep.
Jesse Petrea, R-Savannah, chairman
of the House Human Relations and
Aging Committee along with other
Georgia lawmakers, have launched
the Pro-Enforcement Immigration
Caucus. It’s a new group dedicated
to advancing immigration enforcement efforts, supporting law enforcement agencies and promoting
the rule of law across all of Georgia.
Special Agent in Charge for
Georgia and Alabama, Steven
Schrank of Homeland Security
Investigations, participated in
the caucus launch and provides
a federal perspective on the significance of state collaboration in
immigration-related investigations
and enforcement. He especially
appreciates the impact of House Bill
1105— passed during the 2024 legislative session— on U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
operations in Georgia. According to
Schrank, HB 1105 has facilitated unprecedented cooperation between
ICE and local law enforcement in
Georgia, a development that was
not previously in place.
The caucus says it plans to continue pursuing such legislative solutions in the 2026 General Assembly
that would improve information sharing, empower law enforcement and
close policy gaps that would allow
unlawful activity to go unchecked.
