Gilbert: Legal Residents Only For Federal Jobs
Posted 2009-01-17

By Jeff Mellott

HARRISONBURG - If a proposed amendment by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, is approved, only job applicants who can prove they're citizens or legal U.S. residents could be hired as part of a federal stimulus program.

Gilbert's budget amendment would place the restrictions when hiring for construction positions paid with federal funds under President-elect Barack Obama's proposed jobs program.

Gilbert acknowledged that federal laws already cover this point, but he wants to ensure state employers seeking to build those projects would confirm legal residency of residents through "E-Verify."

E-Verify is a computer database operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.

All federal government contractors and subcontractors who receive direct federal money are required to verify the legal status of their employees using this system, Gilbert noted.

But he said those same requirements should apply when the state spends federal dollars on these upcoming projects.

"If federal money comes pouring into Virginia, it is imperative that the General Assembly ensure that we are indeed creating jobs for our citizens and not countless thousands of illegal aliens," Gilbert said in a prepared statement.


www.dnonline.com