'Birther' Law Proposed for Georgia

4:32 PM, Mar 1, 2011   |    comments
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ATLANTA (AP) -- A state representative is proposing legislation that would require candidates for president or vice president to prove their eligibility to run for office before gaining access to a Georgia election ballot.

Republican Rep. Mark Hatfield of Waycross says he introduced a similar bill at the end of last year's legislative session to start a discussion on the issue. This year, he says he has 94 lawmakers signed on in support of the bill -- enough to pass the proposal in
the House.

Hatfield says the bill was prompted in part by the controversy surrounding President Barack Obama's U.S. citizenship, which some contested after he was elected in 2008. Hatfield says states have a duty to enforce the Constitutional requirements for eligibility for those offices.
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House Bill 401: http://www.legis.ga.gov

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)