Thread: AZ: Businesses get notices on illegal hiring law

Friday, October 5, 2007 - 11:49 AM MST
Businesses get notices on illegal hiring law
The Business Journal of Phoenix - by Mike Sunnucks The Business Journal
The state government is mailing notices to Arizona businesses and employers notifying them of a pending law related to the hiring of illegal immigrants.

The notice tells employers of a federal employment verification system and new state penalties businesses face if they are caught hiring illegals.

The new state law can revoke an employer's Arizona business license if it is caught intentionally hiring illegals more than once. The new state sanctions law goes into effect in January.

Companies that participate in the federal E-Verify system to confirm workers' legal status in the U.S. can help them prove they are trying not to hire illegals.

Business interests are challenging the state sanctions law in court saying immigration is a federal matter and the statute has due process problems.

The law was approved by the Legislature and Gov. Janet Napolitano earlier this year.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stor ... ily65.html

Half don't know about new state hiring law

InsideTucson Business

Only about half of Arizonans are even aware of a new state law that is to take effect Jan. 1 requiring businesses to verify eligibility of their workers or face the loss of their business licenses, according to a statewide poll by WestGroup Research.


The law, which is being challenged in court, says that any employer caught knowingly hiring an illegal immigrant can lose its business license for up to 10 days on the first offense and permanently on the second offense.


Last week, the Arizona Department of Revenue said it sent notices to all employers about the new law with instructions on how to enroll in the federal employment eligibility system, called E-Verify (formerly called the Basic Pilot Program), which businesses must use under the law.


And, on another front, state Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, was in Green Valley Oct. 2 where he told an invitation only crowd his bill creating the law was "the greatest bill in the nation." He criticized the news media for distorting the facts and said the bill’s term "knowingly" is not as ambiguous as it has been portrayed.


But Larry Kempler of Farmers Investment Co., who attended the luncheon, said "There is no clear definition of the term "knowingly, and that’s what we’re concerned about."


As of Jan. 1, 2008, every employer, after hiring a new employee, must verify the person’s employment eligibility through E-Verify.


That means before the end of the year, all employers must register with the program. To do so, go online to https://www.vis-dhs.com/EmployerRegistration and follow the instructions. There is no cost to use E-Verify.

http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2007/10/0 ... 135721.txt