wspa.com
May 28, 2008
South Carolina Lawmakers Compromise on Illegal
Immigration Bill

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 03:14 PM
By Robert Kittle

The House and Senate have finally reached an agreement on an illegal immigration reform bill, and Governor Mark Sanford has indicated he will sign it into law. It still needs official approval from both bodies, but lawmakers who’ve been working on a compromise say that’s just a formality at this point.

The sticking point for weeks has been how businesses would verify whether their workers are here legally. The House wanted businesses to use as an option E-Verify, a federal system for checking workers’ status online. But the Senate wanted to create a new state version of a form similar to the federal I-9 form. Senators have now agreed with using E-Verify.

The bill will create a 24-hour telephone hotline and website to report illegal immigrants. It will require all employers to verify their employees’ status by making sure they have a valid SC driver’s license, a license from another state that has the same eligibility requirements as SC, or through the E-Verify system.

Employers with 500 or more workers will have to start complying by January 1, 2009. Those with between 100 and 500 employees will have to comply by July 1, 2009. Smaller businesses will have to comply by January 1, 2010.

The bill will also require verification for anyone seeking public assistance and bar illegal immigrants from attending public colleges and universities. It also will allow a lawsuit against any company that fires a legal worker for the purpose of hiring an illegal one.

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