March 5, 2008, 9:33AM
Iowa: ID Theft Bill Passes Committee

As usual IA facilitators, advocates and anarchists bitch about it with the usual...racial profiling...anti-immigrant...anti-hispanic...anti-people of color...anti-against people with last names that don't sound American...anti- etc. etc. etc.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A House measure that would punish employers who don't verify job applicants' identity has survived funnel week, but it's getting backlash from critics who call it an anti-immigration bill.

The bill would require employers to verify that a job applicant's appearance matches a valid photo ID and sign a form that they had done so. Employers caught lying on the form would be subject to felony perjury charges, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $7,500 fine.

The measure passed 11-5 out of committee on Tuesday.

While backers of the bill say it's meant to stop all types of identity theft, they acknowledge that illegal immigrants could feel the brunt of the legislation.

"Does that capture more people than just those that are in the United States trying to steal somebody's identity from obituaries _ I assume that it might," said Rep. Rick Olson, D-Des Moines, who managed the bill through committee. "I think that the immigration issue will fall under this umbrella, yes."

Earlier Democratic-backed legislation that would have created fines and jail time for employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers failed to proceed. It was nixed after officials realized that there was federal legislation that already prohibits employers from doing the same thing.

But Democrats argue that the federal government has failed to do enough to curb illegal immigration, so the state has had to step in.

With the bill passed out of committee, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said House Democrats continue to try "to place the responsibility where it belongs _ on corporate CEOs."

"Illegal immigration is really a human rights issue," he said. "Large corporations have successfully lobbied the federal government to not enforce immigration laws so they can recruit immigrants to use for cheap labor."

Bernard Ortiz of Altoona said politicians should focus more on the economy and not on illegal immigrants. Ortiz, who is a U.S. citizen, said he felt betrayed by the Democratic Party for their support of the measure.

"It's a shame that our politicians chose to take the easy route, which is point the finger at the immigrants for everything instead of using their mental capacity to do something positive with it," he said. "It's unfortunate they really are trying to legalize the stereotype and raise profiling."

He said companies might look at his job application and say, "Why even bother?"

"It's going to make me and anybody of color, anybody who's got a name that's not quote-unquote American to be possibly discarded to the side, and that's not right," Ortiz said. "That's not the right way to go in Iowa."
http://www.chron.com:80/disp/story.mpl/ ... 94391.html