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Sen. Chuck Grassley Introduces Major E-Verify Legislation in the Senate

author Published by Chris Chmielenski

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has introduced new legislation (S.1196) in the U.S. Senate that would require all employers in the United States to use E-Verify. Sen. Grassley is the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees immigration policy in the Senate. He also sits on the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. Sen. Grassley’s bill would make the E-Verify program permanent and would require all employers to use the system within 12 months of enactment.

“E-Verify has already proven effective in combating the hiring of illegal aliens. It’s a simple tool for employers who want to comply with the law in a digital age when sophisticated, fraudulent documents are just the stroke of a computer key away,” Senator Grassley said. “This legislation allows us to hold employers accountable while giving them the tools needed to abide by the law in their hiring practices.”

Sen. Grassley’s bill would:

Makes permanent the E-Verify program that was created in 1996;
Makes E-Verify mandatory for all employers within one year of date of enactment;
Clarifies that federal contractors and the Federal Government (executive and legislative branches) must use it, and allows the Secretary to require “critical employers” to use it immediately;
Increases penalties for employers who don’t use the system or illegally hire undocumented workers;
Reduces the liability that employers face if they participate in E-Verify when it involves the wrongful termination of an individual;
Allows employers to use E-Verify before a person is hired, if the applicant consents;
Requires employers to check the status of existing employees within 3 years;
Requires employers to re-verify a person’s status if their employment authorization is due to expire;
Requires employers to terminate the employment of those found unauthorized to work due to a check through E-Verify;
Helps ensure that the Social Security Administration catches multiple use of Social Security numbers by requiring them to develop algorithms to detect anomalies;
Amends the criminal code to make clear that defendants who possess or otherwise use identity information not their own without lawful authority and in the commission of another felony is still punishable for aggravated identity fraud, regardless of the defendant’s “knowledge” of the victim;
Establishes a demonstration project in a rural area or area without internet capabilities to assist small businesses in complying with the participation requirement; and
Provides an offset to pay for any upgrades or expenses required by the legislation using unobligated funds from various departments.

Sen. Grassley has earned an immigration-reduction career A grade for his work on the issue over the years. Last year, he confronted the Obama Administration about a potential plan that could have offered amnesty to the nation’s 11-18 million illegal aliens through deferred action and/or parole. He has also been a leader in combatting fraud within the H-1B visa program.

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