Lawmakers voted down a bill Monday that would have required employers to screen workers using a federal background check system amid concerns it would add another burden to business owners.

The Senate State Affairs Committee defeated the measure on 7-2 vote. The bill was aimed at stemming the flow of illegal immigrants into the state, and would have put employers who accepted false identification at risk of losing their business licenses.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Some businesses would have to confirm the immigration status of employees under a bill passed by the Utah Senate but would no longer face criminal penalties if they didn't.

An original version of the measure included the penalties but bill sponsor Sen. Chris Buttars removed it, saying businesses had complained.

Allegations that illegal immigrants were working on the $63 million courthouse project came to light last week when a bricklayers union organizer questioned the county.

Another bricklayers representative said he talked with employees at the courthouse in November and asked if papers were needed to get a job there. The employees said no papers were needed and that they were paid in cash, said Jose Alvarez, business marketing representative of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers in Washington.

A Novato-based group advocating the employment of documented American workers in Novato has collected more than half the required signatures to place an initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot to force employers working with the city to verify the citizenship of workers.

A Novato-based group advocating the employment of documented American workers in Novato has collected more than half the required signatures to place an initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot to force employers working with the city to verify the citizenship of workers.

The candidates were asked whether they would force employers to use the E-verify system to ensure that only legal citizens are hired.

Medina: No. "We have a process in Texas.  . . .  We use the I-9 forms.  . . .  Also, the Texas driver’s license is an acceptable form of identification . . . yet in Texas we are issuing Texas driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Stop issuing Texas driver’s licenses toward illegal immigrants would go a long way."

Perry: No. "E-verify is a clearly federal program.  . . .  Speaking of the federal government, that’s where the problem lies with this issue.  . . .  E-verify would not make a hill of beans’ difference when it comes to what’s happening in America today."

Hutchison: Yes. "E-verify is the best system that we have that would allow an employer to do what they need to do. We have to give employers the tools to find out if someone is legal."

Senate Bill 1271 would make it illegal to produce false identification when applying for employment and also for employers to knowingly hire employees that produce false documents at the time of employment.

Senators Patti Anne Lodge (R-Huston), Curt McKenzie (R-Nampa), John McGee (R-Caldwell) and Melinda Smyser (R-Parma) are cosponsors of the legislation.

Frederick County is taking steps to prevent contractors from hiring illegal immigrant workers.

On Dec. 15, Frederick County Commissioners will consider whether to adopt new purchasing regulations. Those regulations would include requiring major construction contractors to certify that they and their subcontractors are not knowingly employing illegal aliens.

In February, commissioners are also expected to review a proposal to require those contractors use the federal e-verify system, an Internet-based program designed to verify legal status of workers under federal contract.

Will unemployed Michiganians continue to compete with illegal immigrants for taxpayer-funded jobs? That question is before the Michigan House of Representatives this week in the form of House Bill 4355, which would require state and local governments, and their contractors, to verify whether new hires are eligible to work in the U.S. This should be a no-brainer for the House considering Michigan's unemployment rate.

The bill works by simply requiring employers to run new employees through the federal E-Verify database to determine if they are legal residents. Employers have had the opportunity to use this database for some time and many concerned employers did. Unfortunately, most did not.

Sixty-two percent of state residents oppose granting illegal immigrants some type of limited driver's license, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll.

Only 32 percent said children of illegal immigrants deserved in-state tuition rates, while 20 percent favored the lower rates for illegal immigrants themselves.