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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
The House Department and Agencies Subcommittee is set to consider legislation that would require executive branch agencies to report on expenses related to illegal immigration.
Critics of this legislation say that the answers to the illegal immigration crisis are already clear and that the last thing Tennessee needs at this point is more data collection, especially when considering the said data is not slated for the public-at-large to view, but is meant for the eyes of the GOP leadership, who have a pathetic track record as it relates to illegal immigration.
House Bill 2774 (HB2774) is sponsored by Representative Jake McCalmon (R-Franklin-District 63). The subcommittee will hear the bill on February 14th, 2024.
The companion Senate Bill 2158 (SB2158), sponsored by Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin-District 18), has been recommended to the Senate State and Local Government Committee but has not yet been scheduled on their calendar.
It would require that the head of all executive branch entities in Tennessee come up with a way to collect and analyze data related to their use of public funds directly or indirectly for the benefit of illegal immigrants.
If the bill is passed, those agencies would have a maximum of sixty days to conduct a review of those policies. Within 120 days, those entities must report those findings to the governor and the speakers of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Within 90 days of the bill’s passage, the head of the departments of public safety and corrections and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation must analyze data regarding crimes committed by illegal aliens, including types of crime and any potential gang affiliation.
They will then have 180 days to come up with a plan for regularly publishing that information on a publicly accessible website. According to the text of the bill, the information “must be disclosed with due consideration for the greatest degree of transparency, while consistent with applicable privacy laws.”
