WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today said that an amendment he supported to extend the E-verify program for five years was defeated by a vote of 50 to 47. E-verify, formerly called the Basic Pilot Program, is a web-based tool that allows employers to verify the work eligibility of new employees.
Grassley introduced amendments to the 2006 and 2007 comprehensive immigration bills that would have improved the ability of the federal government to go after employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens. He also introduced stand-alone legislation last year that would have made several needed improvements to the program, including making the program permanent and allowing for additional information sharing between agencies within the Department of Homeland Security
The Basic Pilot program was first authorized in 1996 allowing only five states to participate. The program was reauthorized in 2001 and then expanded in 2003. The last expansion extended to employers in all 50 states the opportunity to voluntarily use the program. The current E-verify program is set to expire at the end of March. The omnibus bill contains a provision that only extends the E-verify program until September 30, 2009.
Here is the text of Grassley’s statement.
Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley
E-Verify
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I rise to support the Sessions amendment to extend the E-verify program for 5 years. The E-verify program is an effective web-based tool that provides employers with a process to verify the social security numbers and legal status of newly hired employees.
As my colleagues know, it’s unlawful for employers to knowingly hire or employ aliens not eligible to work in the United States. Under current law, if the documents provided by an employee reasonably appear on their face to be genuine, the employer has met its obligation to review the worker’s documents. Unfortunately, counterfeit documents and stolen identities have made a mockery of the law. But with the E-verify program, employers can electronically verify a new hire’s employment authorization through the Social Security Administration and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security databases.
E-verify has been an extremely successful program for employers who are seeking to comply with the law. The program is voluntary and free for all employers. Right now, over 100,000 employers have signed up for the program and each week more than 2,000 employers sign up for it. E-verify has a proven track record – more than 5 million queries by employers were made last year and of those, 96.1% were verified automatically.
The small percentage of applicants who receive a tentative non-confirmation must sort out their records with the Social Security Administration. Many times it is just a simple misunderstanding with the Social Security Administration, or a case in which records were not updated. In the event that a person receives a tentative non-confirmation, the person can continue to work and cannot be fired.
The Sessions amendment would extend the E-verify program for 5 more years. Frankly, I’d like to see more reforms to the E-verify program. For example, I’d like to make E-verify mandatory for all businesses. I’d like employers to check all their employees with E-verify, not just new hires. I’d also like to see the program made a permanent provision in our immigration laws. But for now, I’m happy to support this first baby step in extending E-verify for 5 years.
The bottom line is that this amendment is a jobs amendment. Our economy is on the skids. Americans are losing their jobs. The E-verify program will help stimulate the economy by preserving jobs for a legal workforce. It will help root out illegal workers who are taking jobs from Americans. We need the E-verify program to encourage employers to use the system to prevent them from hiring illegal foreign labor.
I urge my colleagues to support the Sessions amendment, and I thank my friend Senator Sessions for all his efforts on the E-verify program.