Grassley Works to Give Employers Tools to Comply with Legal Hiring Practices

Press Release

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.

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