From lianqi00@dons.ac.usfca.EDU Wed Jun 8 18:37:35 1994 Subject: Georgia's drivers' license Status: RO Dear mr. Wei Zhou: I have read your reports on Georgia's driver license for foreign students in CND, and I am very concerned about the situation there. I hope you can give us more information about this issue, including following: 1) The bill related to this issue passed in Georgia, 2) The official interpretation of this bill by Department of Public Safety, 3) The persons who have been refused for license (detailed information about those cases) 4) The phone numbers for: yourself, Department of Public Safety, Georgia Senate. I hope that all the information can be as accurate and detailed as possible, so I am able to send them out to media, and css activists community. The further actions may include the following steps: 1) compile personal cases, legal regulation and official interpretations pertaining to this issue 2) consult with lawyers in Georgia whether the interpretations and the bill are constitutional 3) consult with lawyers in Geogia what kind legal process can revoke or influence the interpretations by DPS: judgement from state supreme court or appeal court, executive orders from state department, another bill from state legislative branch 4) tell css community what we can do as foreigners outside and inside Georgia: Write letters to Senate, Governor, DPS and other GO or NGO 5) inform ifcss anti-discrimination committee, chairperson Ms. Zong Lin and your two council members from Georgia district. 6) raise more attentions from CSS 7) Enlarge publicity about this issue. Many of ifcss activists currently are working on cbs issue which is also related to the welfare of Chinese students and scholars in the United States. However, I think both case are same important to us, and the working committee's PR network, media influence, man power, intelligence and other resources obviously can work for both. Please don't hesitate to act upon this issue, we are on your side. My phone number and fax number are 415-751-3606. Anything I can do for Chinese students in Georgia, please let know. Regards, Liang Er Council Member of Independent Federation Of Chinese Students and Scholars From wzhou@bimcore.emory.edu Wed Jun 8 20:41:15 1994 Date: Wed, 8 Jun 1994 20:54:25 -0400 (EDT) Status: RO On Wed, 8 Jun 1994, lianqi00 wrote: > give us more information about this issue, including following: > 1) The bill related to this issue passed in Georgia, Senate Bill (Senator Bowen of the 13th and Senator Ollard of the 24th. > 2) The official interpretation of this bill by Department of Public Safety, The following is from Department of Public Safety Information sheet: In addition to one of the abive items all new applicants for a Georgia license who are NON_US Citizens must present proper INS documentations. Three groups of NON-US Citizens may be licensed in Georgia. These groups and the required documentation for each group are as follows: A) Resident Alien-Resident Alien Card (I-551) B) Alien with employment authorization-Employment Authorization Card (I-688B) C) Alien residing in US under the color of Law-Resident Alien Card or Employment Authorization Card > 3) The persons who have been refused for license (detailed information > about those cases) I know five of them. Basically, they were turned down by the DPS and gave them the info sheet. I have very limited contact with Chinese students here, so I can't locate too many victims. I hope IFCSS or whoever can use its branch organization to contact other foreign student organizations to collect information about victims. > 4) The phone numbers for: yourself, Department of Public Safety, Georgia > Senate. I will send you my phone number later. I am a little hesitating to post my number in this list. The number for DPS is (404) 657-9300 (info) (404) 624-7885 (public affair) The number for Georgia Senate is (404) 656-5040 (Secretary of the Senate) > I hope that all the information can be as accurate and detailed as > possible, so I am able to send them out to media, and css activists > community. I will send you a copy of the Info sheet and the bill once I scan them into text tomorrow. > The further actions may include the following steps: > 2) consult with lawyers in Georgia whether the interpretations and the > bill are constitutional Need to do soon. > 3) consult with lawyers in Geogia what kind legal process can revoke or > influence the interpretations by DPS: judgement from state supreme court or > appeal court, executive orders from state department, another bill from > state legislative branch Need to do. Good point. > 4) tell css community what we can do as foreigners outside and inside Georgia: > Write letters to Senate, Governor, DPS and other GO or NGO I am one man army here. I don't know how to contact them. And I am extremely busy. Help! > 5) inform ifcss anti-discrimination committee, chairperson Ms. Zong Lin > and your two council members from Georgia district. One of them briefly contacted me. I hope they would pay a little more attention. > 6) raise more attentions from CSS Help me. > 7) Enlarge publicity about this issue. I have talked to a reporter of Atlanta Journal Consitution which is suppose to be the major newspaper in the South. > > Many of ifcss activists currently are working on cbs issue which is also > related to the welfare of Chinese students and scholars in the United > States. However, I think both case are same important to us, and the > working committee's PR network, media influence, man power, intelligence > and other resources obviously can work for both. Please don't hesitate to > act upon this issue, we are on your side. Thank you very much. I hope this is not a detraction to the CBS issue. I think the licenising problem is also important for CSS because you simply need a DL to survive. I think it is a easier task if we want to do somthing. The DPS is obviously wrong. If we just sit and wait, this may become a precendent for other States. > My phone number and fax number are 415-751-3606. Anything I can do for > Chinese students in Georgia, please let know. Anybody from Georgia? please contact me. We need to do something soon. New students are coming soon, they need DLs. Wei Zhou wzhou@bimcore.cc.emory.edu