Tuesday, April 1, 2008 - 4:12 PM MST
Arizona House approves additions to law punishing businesses that hire illegal immigrants
The Business Journal of Phoenix - by Mike Sunnucks Phoenix Business Journal



The Arizona House of Representatives Tuesday approved additions to the state's employer sanctions law, which punishes businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

The House voted 41 to 16 to approve the measure aimed at businesses that pay illegal immigrant workers off the books and document fraud rings that supply illegals with work papers. The bill also would allow anonymous complaints and require businesses receiving economic development incentives or government contracts to participate in the federal E-Verify worker verification system.

Most of the no votes came from Democrats. The measure, sponsored by State Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, now moves to the State Senate. Pearce also had pushed for companies that do not use E-Verify to lose their ability to write off employee costs on their state taxes.

Business groups unsuccessfully challenged the existing employers sanctions law in federal court. The existing law allows county prosecutors to go after the business licenses of employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/ ... st=b_ln_hl