House Bill 37 was brought to the 2017-2018 Regular Session in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements. Representative Terry England, one of the sponsors of the bill reported in an interview that he has decided to sponsor the bill because he supports legislation that upholds the law. HB 37 was assigned the House and Senate High Education Committees. The Chairman of the House Higher Education Committee is Representative Rick Jasperse of District 11. The Chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee is Senator Fran Miller. No subcommittees were assigned for this bill. No known public hearings were held in regards to this bill.

 

        While in session, definitions of key terms were added to the bill. HB 37 was the only bill during this legislative session that involved sanctuary policies in private-post secondary institutions. Senator and Higher Education Chairman Fran Millar received a memo regarding a possible conflict between HB 37 and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, however he moved forward with the voting due to the late arrival of the memo.

 

       My local Senator, Steve Henson of District 41 voted against the bill which was consistent with his interview at the State Capital. My local Representative, Earnest “Coach” Williams of District 87 also voted against the bill. The bill was signed on April 27th, 2017 by Governor Nathan Deal and will go into effect on July 1st, 2017.