E-Verify bill passes Senate Commerce Committee

April 6, 2011

NASHVILLE — The Senate Commerce Committee has voted 8-1 to approve legislation calling for Tennessee employers to use the E-Verify system to ensure that new hires are in the state legally. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, and Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, is the first in a three-pronged approach to combat illegal immigration in Tennessee.

“There are more than 140,000 illegal immigrants in Tennessee, with over 110,000 in the state’s workforce,â€