Thread: TN: House panel OKs bill requiring use of E-Verify

House panel OKs bill requiring use of E-Verify
Employers will have to make sure workers are legal
By Tom Humphrey
Knoxville News Sentinel
Posted March 30, 2011 at 11:56 p.m.

NASHVILLE - Over strenuous objections from business lobbyists, a House panel approved a bill that will require Tennessee employers to use the federal "E-Verify" system to assure that their workers are legally in the U.S.

"This bill looks good, smells bad and does very little to help the problem," said Jim Brown, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, in testimony before the House State and Local Government Subcommittee.

Similar objections came from other business representatives, including the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Tennessee Hospitality Association and the Tennessee Jobs Coalition. In general, they said the bill is an unfair mandate on businesses that will be expensive - and in some cases impractical - to implement and enforce.

But sponsor Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, said he and other supporters had made multiple revisions to HB1378 to reduce negative impact on businesses and the state must act to curb illegal immigration.

State and Local Government Committee Chairman Curry Todd, R-Collierville, accused lobbyists of "foot dragging" at one point and warned "we're going to pass these bills out if you don't get serious."

The subcommittee eventually did so, approving the "Tennessee Lawful Employment Act" on a voice vote

Carr said the E-Verify bill is the "linchpin" in a package of legislation targeting illegal immigration in Tennessee. The panel approved two other bills by Carr with relatively little discussion, also on voice votes with no recording of who voted yes and who voted no.

Those bills are:

n The "Lawful Immigration Enforcement Act," HB1380, which calls for state and local law enforcement officers to check the legal status of persons cited for traffic offenses and other misdemeanors if he or she has a "reasonable suspicion" that the arrested individual is in the country illegally.

n The "Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act," HB1379, which requires state and local officials to verify the legal status of anyone receiving public benefits.

The subcommittee also approved a bill by House Republican Chairwoman Debra Maggart of Hendersonville that requires voters to present a government-issued photo identification before casting ballots.

All the measures now advance to the full State and Local Government Committee, where Carr said they may be amended.

"What I hope happens is the business community comes back to the table and gives us some things we can negotiate," he said afterward. "But there are some things that we cannot negotiate."

Bradley Jackson, lobbyist for the Tennessee Chamber, said the E-Verify bill will be burdensome on businesses. About 20,000 small businesses across the state have no computer to use for accessing the federal system, he said.

Enactment will mean "say hello to fines, say goodbye to your business license" for companies who may be completely unaware of the measure, which would take effect Jan. 1.

Tom Humphrey may be reached at 615-242-7782.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/mar/3 ... -e-verify/

way to go Tennessee